u/khazraxd

Senator Loren Legarda apparently has a way back to the Senate majority after telling Senator Panfilo Lacson that she made a mistake in siding with the minority bloc led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.

Lacson said Saturday that Legarda had reached out to him and expressed regret over her decision, even lamenting that Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III was no longer responding to her messages.

“Yun huling usap namin, na nagkamali raw siya. Sabi ko, kalimutan mo na yun. Tapos na yun,” Lacson said in an interview on DWIZ.

For Lacson, there are no hard feelings.

“Welcome naman namin siya na bumalik,” he said.

Legarda joined the Cayetano-led minority following the latest Senate leadership realignment but has since been on medical leave abroad due to a reported lung condition.

Lacson said he had encouraged Legarda to return to the Philippines if her health permits, although he stressed that the decision was ultimately hers.

“Kung kaya ng health niya, I would suggest na bumalik na dito. At the end of the day, sarili niyang decision yan,” he said.

His remarks come after Legarda spokesperson Tony La Viña said the senator remained open to rejoining the majority, describing shifting alliances as part of the normal political dynamics in the chamber.

A Legarda comeback could have implications beyond Senate factional politics.

Her absence has figured in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, where senator-judges voted to calculate the two-thirds threshold for conviction based on participating members rather than the full 24-member Senate.

Legarda has been on medical leave since Aug. 3.

Her absence also coincided with reports of a preliminary Ombudsman investigation involving her and her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, over allegations surrounding a multibillion-peso solar energy transaction.

https://politiko.com.ph/lorens-lament-ping-lacson-says-legarda-regrets-alliance-with-alan-cayetano/

Only 10 Votes Needed To Reverse 16-Vote Rule

Neil Jayson Servallos

September 12, 2026

With four senators absent and Escudero excluded, only 19 senator-judges would be voting, which means a simple majority of 10 votes would be needed to change the threshold to convict Duterte.

It will take only 10 votes from senator-judges to overturn the initial ruling that requires 16 votes to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, the Senate impeachment court clarified on Friday, Sept. 11.

Impeachment court spokesman Reginald Tongol explained that presiding officer Francis Escudero would not vote on the threshold as it was his ruling that 16 votes are needed to convict the Vice President.

With four senators absent and Escudero excluded, only 19 senator-judges would be voting, which means a simple majority of 10 votes would be needed to change the threshold to convict Duterte, Tongol said.

However, Tongol noted that if a stalemate occurs – for example, if another senator is absent or an absent senator would be present and the vote is tied – the motion to appeal will fail and Escudero’s 16-vote ruling will stand.

The vote on the matter is slated on Sept. 23 and would be preceded by discussions by former chief justices Hilario Davide Jr., Artemio Panganiban and Reynato Puno and former Supreme Court associate justice Adolfo Azcuna. Davide and Azcuna were framers of the 1987 Constitution.

Tongol said the experts were selected for their legal independence and lack of recent public statements on the threshold issue.

“One of the things considered were their credentials, the decisions they released when they were with the SC... both those published in legal journals and penned as SC rulings,” Tongol said.

During the special session, senator-judges will interpellate the legal experts on whether the base vote can be legally lowered, what the effects of the absent senators are and whether the Senate or the SC is the final arbiter of the issue.

Sara: Follow Constitution

Duterte, meanwhile, questioned the decision of the Senate impeachment court to tap constitutional experts as amici curiae or friends of the court to resolve a possible deadlock on the number of votes required to convict or acquit her.

“That threshold was decided in the first place to follow the Constitution. So, it means that now that the conversation has changed, it means they will change it. Why are we still talking about it if it is not going to be changed?” Duterte said in an interview in Quezon City yesterday.

Duterte added that she has yet to receive an invitation from the Senate impeachment court after the prosecution team moved to invite her.

“I can’t answer that because there is no paper or document yet that says I have to appear as the witness for the prosecution,” Duterte said. – With an additional report from Bella Cariaso

https://www.onenews.ph/articles/only-10-votes-needed-to-reverse-16-vote-rule

NBI has leads on Bato’s location

The National Bureau of Investigation is pursuing “good leads” on the whereabouts of Sen. Ronald dela Rosa and is just waiting for the right opportunity to arrest the fugitive lawmaker.

Speaking at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said manhunt operations have been ongoing for Dela Rosa, who has been in hiding since May.

He did not reveal details but maintained that the NBI is on track to finally apprehending Dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa has been named as co-perpetrator of alleged crimes against humanity during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs and is wanted by the International Criminal Court.

He resurfaced at the Senate last May and helped install Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president. – Emmanuel Tupas

https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic\_article\_popover.aspx?artguid=c5c22350-c603-449a-9174-d50d79ea2d0e&appcode=THE276&eguid=05e02969-590e-436e-8b0a-c69a564ee1e7&pnum=24#

CAMP OF VP SARA NO SHOW TO POST BAIL

Police officers leave the Quezon City Hall of Justice on Friday after the camp of Vice President Sara Duterte did not arrive for the expected posting of bail in relation to grave threat case filed against her.

The case arose from Duterte’s statement during an online press conference in November 2024, during which she said she had instructed someone to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then house speaker Martin Romualdez if she were killed first. (Photos by Michael Varcas/The Philippine STAR)

Hontiveros ‘preparing very hard’ for single presidential bet in 2028

By: Hazel P. Villa - @inquirerdotnet

ILOILO CITY — Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she is preparing for a possible presidential run in 2028, but stressed that the opposition should ultimately rally behind a single candidate with the strongest chance of winning.

Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, Aug. 21, Hontiveros said she was strengthening her organization and political standing while assessing whether she could emerge as the opposition’s strongest standard-bearer.

“I am preparing very hard. Working very hard,” Hontiveros said when asked how far she was in deciding whether to seek the presidency.

She said the goal was not simply to secure her own candidacy but to identify the strongest possible candidate for the 2028 elections.

“I always say, just one. That’s why I’m preparing, I’m strengthening myself,” she said.

Hontiveros said that if political indicators eventually showed that she was the opposition’s most viable choice, she would seek the support of her party and allied groups.

“If it turns out that I am the strongest, that I can be elected from our party, then I will talk to the members, the allies in our party,” she said.

She added that she would present the indicators supporting her candidacy and make the case for the coalition to unite behind her.

“It’s important that [we have] just one. Let’s unite around the strongest one, so that we have a fighting chance,” Hontiveros said.

The senator also thanked supporters in Iloilo who had earlier publicly encouraged her to run for president.

“I am very, very appreciative of your support and encouragement,” she said.

Her remarks were among her clearest yet on preparations for a possible presidential campaign, although she stopped short of formally declaring her candidacy.

Hontiveros has previously said the opposition should field a common candidate in 2028 rather than fragment its votes among several contenders.

Early surveys, however, show the senator still facing a steep challenge in the surveys of presidential preferences currently dominated by Vice President Sara Duterte.

In Pulse Asia’s July 2026 nationwide survey, Duterte remained ahead in all of the hypothetical presidential matchups tested. In a direct contest between Duterte and Hontiveros, 60 percent chose Duterte while 21 percent preferred Hontiveros. In a three-way race involving Duterte, Sen. Erwin Tulfo and Hontiveros, Duterte obtained 56 percent, Tulfo 16 percent and Hontiveros 13 percent.

The same Pulse Asia survey also showed high public interest in the elections even with nearly two years remaining before Filipinos choose the successor to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.. Some 89 percent of Filipino adults said they were interested in the May 2028 polls, including 59 percent who said they were “truly interested.”

Other recent surveys have similarly placed Hontiveros behind Duterte and other prospective presidential contenders when respondents were presented with a broader field.

A July survey by Momentum Research Inc. placed Duterte at 44.2 percent, followed by Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo at 23.8 percent and Sen. Raffy Tulfo at 12.2 percent. Hontiveros received 2.4 percent.

Meanwhile, a WR Numero survey conducted in June placed Duterte at 39.4 percent, Robredo at 20.9 percent and Tulfo at 14.2 percent, with Hontiveros receiving 2.1 percent.

Despite the early numbers, Hontiveros indicated that the choice of a candidate should depend on political strength closer to the elections and on the ability of opposition forces to consolidate behind one standard-bearer.

She said the eventual candidate should be able to present Filipinos with a credible alternative and a vision of the country’s future.

“We can make the best offer to our countrymen, to our fellow citizens,” she said, referring to “the future we dream about” and “the future that we want to create.”

Hontiveros was here to address around 200 young people attending Youth Converge 2026 at PHINMA University of Iloilo, an event organized by SAKDAG Philippines to promote youth leadership, civic engagement and nation-building.

“I’m preparing and hoping and praying that I will be the one,” she said. /jpv

https://inqnews.net/Hontiveros2028

MANILA, Philippines — Representatives from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday said they secured President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s authorization, allowing the agency to submit Vice President Sara Duterte’s tax records to the Senate impeachment court.

The BIR representatives told the Inquirer that they had secured the President’s authorization to produce the records.

BIR representatives submitted the records to the Office of the Clerk of Court before the 9 a.m. deadline set by the impeachment court.

The Inquirer asked the representatives, as they arrived at the Senate, if they got Marcos’ approval for the documents, to which they replied, “Yes.”

The impeachment court had directed BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza to make the appropriate return on the subpoena seeking Duterte’s tax records in connection with the unexplained wealth allegations under the second impeachment article.

Included in the documents are tax records of Duterte, her husband Mans Carpio, and other businesses allegedly linked to the couple.

In its July 20 ruling, the impeachment court said the issuance of the subpoena alone did not authorize the disclosure of tax records, noting that the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) allows the inspection of taxpayer records only under limited circumstances, including upon the order of the president, upon the request of a foreign tax authority with presidential approval, or upon the taxpayer’s waiver. /das /atm

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2274101/bir-secures-marcos-authorization-submits-duterte-tax-records-to-impeachment-court

Vice President Sara Duterte’s performance and trust ratings have significantly declined in the first survey conducted since the start of her impeachment trial on July 6.

The OCTA Research survey, conducted from July 4 to 11, also showed that President Marcos now enjoys higher performance and trust ratings than Duterte despite similar declines.

Marcos obtained a performance rating of 47 percent, down eight points from 55 percent in March, and a trust rating of 49 percent, down five points from 54 percent.

Those who were not satisfied with his performance increased from 26 percent to 33 percent, while his distrust rating increased from 30 percent to 32 percent.

OCTA’s second quarter survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent.

The survey found that 45 percent of the respondents were satisfied with the performance of the Vice President, down five points from 50 percent in March 2026.

Those who were dissatisfied with her performance increased from 28 percent to 36 percent, while undecided respondents fell from 22 percent to 19 percent.

OCTA said Duterte’s performance rating was her lowest since assuming the vice presidency in 2022. It surpassed her previous record-low 29 percent in November 2024.

Malacañang said the poll results reflect perception that Duterte is not contributing anything to efforts to address the country’s problems and is only engaging in mudslinging.

“Filipinos should see who is really working and who is not doing anything but discredit. The lower rating of VP Sara is a reflection of the truth that she is not helping the government solve issues like inflation and higher fuel prices. She only discredits but does not offer solutions,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a statement.

The drop was significant among respondents in Metro Manila (from 40 percent to 28 percent) and rest of Luzon (from 40 percent to 27 percent).

It went down by four points among respondents in the Visayas (from 62 percent to 58 percent), while it hardly moved in her bailiwick Mindanao (from 90 percent to 89 percent).

The Vice President’s trust ratings also suffered significantly, dropping by eight points from 55 percent in March to 47 percent this July.

Her distrust rating increased from 26 percent to 33 percent, while undecided respondents hardly moved from 19 percent to 20 percent.

“The Vice President’s decline warrants closer scrutiny than the topline numbers alone suggest. Her trust and performance ratings have fallen below majority level together for only the second time in the available series – the first being November 2024, when both stood at 49 percent,” OCTA said.

“The most direct explanation for this record decline is the impeachment trial itself… That her ratings crossed below majority in precisely the quarter this trial began, and by a wider margin than the previous such crossing in November 2024, makes the trial and its surrounding media environment the most direct and best-supported explanation among the factors considered here,” it added. – With Alexis Romero

https://www.onenews.ph/articles/marcos-duterte-ratings-down-but-president-now-beats-vp | via ONE News

A bomb disposal team from the Pasay City Police Station safely neutralized a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) found near the Senate of the Philippines along Diokno Boulevard on Monday morning.

Authorities recovered explosive components, including a blasting cap, 9V battery, clock, and a container with suspected explosive material. Investigation is ongoing. | via Jeff Caparas, ABS-CBN News

(📸: NCRPO)

Senator set to deliver counter-SONA

By MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano is ready to deliver his “kontra-SONA” on Tuesday after President Marcos’ fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) tomorrow.

The “kontra-SONA” is a parliamentary tradition in the Senate where minority senators can refute the President’s version of the country’s present state.

In a Facebook Live on Friday afternoon, Cayetano asked his followers on social media to tell him what they wanted addressed in his kontra-SONA.

He said for him, SONA should be translated into “SANA” for “stewarding a national agenda,” as he added his call for unity instead of partisan politics.

For his part, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian expects President Marcos to tackle measures on how to address the rising costs of living and slow economic growth.

Speaking on dzBB on Friday, Gatchalian attributed the economic slowdown to decreased infrastructure spending brought about by the flood control mess.

He said while he could not predict what the President would say tomorrow following last year’s “Mahiya naman kayo” remark to corrupt contractors and lawmakers, there has been progress in going after those behind the massive public works corruption scheme.

“What’s important is that it won’t happen again. That is where I’m concerned. When the people forget, it will repeat. So, reforms and processes in the system are important,” Gatchalian said.

Meanwhile, Consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines yesterday urged Malacañang to include the long-delayed proposed Site Blocking bill in the priority legislative agenda.

CitizenWatch co-convenor Kit Belmonte said the measure has become essential to protect Filipino consumers, strengthen intellectual property rights and sustain the country’s digital economy.

Site blocking works through the Shared Blocking Management Database, a content control portal that allows regulators to work with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center and the National Telecommunications Commission in disrupting illegal online activities across multiple sectors.

“Government agencies have shown they can work together to curb illegal online gambling, financial scams, fake medicines, online child exploitation and other digital threats through a coordinated, rules-based mechanism,” Belmonte said.

He said the government’s experience with this provides a compelling case for institutionalizing site blocking through legislation.

Belmonte said Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines has made significant progress in strengthening intellectual property enforcement but noted that the agency’s site-blocking capability remains a work in progress without explicit statutory authority.

Belmonte said the proposed legislation is also aligned with the administration’s broader economic agenda of promoting innovation and the creative economy, digital transformation and investment-led growth.

He said this has become even more urgent as artificial intelligence rapidly transforms industries worldwide. – With Bella Cariaso

Speaking in an interview on One News' The Big Story, Holmes said Robredo's current support should not be viewed as her ceiling, noting that about one in four Filipinos continue to prefer her even after she has repeatedly said she is not interested in seeking national office again.

"I wouldn't look at it as a ceiling because the number is quite considerable. One out of four Filipinos expressing support for someone who said she's not interested to go back to a national position."

Holmes said Robredo's continued refusal to run could eventually weaken her prospects, but added that her supporters are likely to continue urging her to reconsider.

According to Holmes, a one-on-one matchup between Duterte and Robredo remains competitive.

He said Pulse Asia's latest survey found Duterte with 52% support against Robredo's 39%, describing the gap as "close," especially with more than two years remaining before the 2028 elections.

Holmes said Duterte's early declaration of her presidential bid appears to be backed by an organized political effort, giving her a head start.

"Anyone who would contest that would definitely have to prepare now. Whether it's Mayor Leni, whether it's Senator Risa, whether it's someone else."

He also urged groups aligned with the liberal and progressive opposition to begin organizing immediately, regardless of who eventually becomes their standard-bearer.

Holmes noted that while Sen. Risa Hontiveros has signaled her willingness to run, opposition forces would need to unite early behind a single candidate to improve their chances in 2028.

ERWIN SAYS CAYETANO MAY HAVE SUFFERED A 'NERVOUS BREAKDOWN' AFTER LOSING SENATE PRESIDENCY

Sen. Erwin Tulfo on Monday suggested that Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano's recent barrage of attacks may have stemmed from changes in his mental state following his removal as Senate President.

Speaking during Christian Esguerra's Facts First, Tulfo claimed that Cayetano's behavior had noticeably changed after his short-lived stint as Senate President.

"May diperensya sa pag-iisip. I think he started this actuation noong mapapatalsik siya as Senate President. Nag-iba na ang takbo ng isip ni Sen. Alan, kaya nga kahapon pinagdarasal ko na lang na sana ay bumalik pa sa katinuan."

Tulfo also commented on Cayetano's appearance and mannerisms, saying they reflected what he described as an abrupt change in behavior.

"Tingnan mo, pati postura niya, hindi na nag-aahit, di mo na maintindihan. Parang akala mo taong grasa na. 'Yung mga porma niya, pati mga pananalita, parang out of the [blue], biglang nag-i-snap na lang nang ganoon."

He urged the public to be understanding and said he would instead pray for Cayetano's recovery.

"Let's just pray for Sen. Alan Cayetano for his speedy recovery, kasi I believe baka nagkaroon ng nervous breakdown noong natanggal siya. Two weeks lang, very short-lived ang kanyang pagiging Senate President. Siguro, pagdasal na lang natin."