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BTS’ announcement Wednesday that the group would not submit its music for consideration for next year’s Grammy Awards has reignited debate over whether music should be judged beyond region and language – or whether race- and region-based award categories promote diversity or undermine the principle of evaluating music on its artistic merits.

In identical posts shared on their individual social media accounts, all seven members of BTS said they would forgo Grammy consideration in the hope that ‘music can be heard and embraced for what it is, beyond region or language.’

Stephanie Choi, an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado Boulder, argued that categorizing artists by race rather than musical characteristics undermines the principle of equal evaluation.

‘Considering how the category ‘Asian’ is attached not to musical elements but to the racial identification of artists, and how race neither represents nor can rightfully represent cultural characteristics, there is no justification for the Grammys to employ such categorization (‘best Asian pop music performance’) in the name of fairness,’ Choi said.

‘Rather, it risks institutionalizing the assumption that Asian artists require separate recognition instead of equal evaluation.’

Criticism of the Grammys’ voting and award structure is long-standing. In 1989, members of the hip-hop community boycotted the ceremony after the newly created best rap performance category was excluded from the live telecast. Jay-Z skipped the 1999 awards in support of DMX, while The Weeknd announced in 2021 that he would no longer submit his music after receiving no nominations for ‘Blinding Lights’ and ‘After Hours’ despite their critical and commercial success.

BTS’ decision also drew strong reactions from fans, some of whom viewed it as a principled stand against what they see as the Grammys’ tendency to categorize Asian artists separately from the mainstream.

Ashleigh Wojciechowski, an Army from the US, described the new best Asian pop music performance category as ‘inherently racist and outdated.’

‘I believe BTS likely felt the same way – that they were continually being put into little boxes and categories because the Grammys didn’t want to give them the attention they deserve,’ she said.

The Recording Academy, however, defended the new category, saying it was intended to broaden recognition rather than segregate Asian artists.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he respected the group’s decision but stressed that the new category was created ‘to celebrate the depth, diversity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia.’

He also emphasized that artists who submit in the category remain fully eligible for the Grammys’ General Field awards – including record of the year, album of the year and song of the year – adding that ‘recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive.’

Others argue the issue is more nuanced.

Music critic Lim Hee-yun said it is difficult to conclude that the Recording Academy intentionally sought to marginalize Asian artists, arguing that the Grammys should first be understood as an American awards show rather than a global institution.

‘Although BTS’ album ‘Arirang’ and its lead single ‘Swim’ achieved short-term success, it’s difficult to say they have generated sustained mainstream popularity in either the US or globally,’ Lim said when considering a potential BTS Grammy win.

Recalling director Bong Joon-ho’s remark that ‘the Oscars are not an international film festival. They’re very local,’ Lim said people should not mistake the Grammys for events such as the Olympics or the World Cup.

Lim argued that, viewed in that context, the addition of an Asian category is a business decision rather than a value judgment.

‘If you object to an Asian category, then you could just as easily ask why there’s a separate Latin pop category,’ he said. ‘By that logic, you could also ask why there’s no Arab pop category or Azerbaijani pop category. There’s no end to those questions.’

The critic agreed music awards should ideally be divided by musical genres such as hip-hop, R and B and rap rather than by region. However, he added that the Recording Academy’s regional categories reflect the realities of the US music market rather than an attempt to classify the world’s music.

Police have identified three persons of interest in the attack that killed a pastor and wounded a tribal leader in Barangay Rizal along a secondary national highway here last July 31.

Maj. Carmelo Malubay, acting chief of the San Francisco Municipal Police Station, said they would file criminal charges against the three suspects should the evidence warrant.

Malubay said the gunmen shot the victims at close range using .45-caliber pistols. Pastor Balvino Andaya of the Risen Christ Community Church was killed, and Avelino Valencia Cajandig, president of the Banwaon Manobo Talaandig Tribal Council, suffered a gunshot wound in his left palm.

A third passenger, Ariel Palanog, was unharmed.

Initial investigation showed that the victims were aboard a Mitsubishi Montero Sport and traveling from Barangay Del Monte in Talacogon town when two unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen opened fire at them.

The driver lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road and crashed into a roadside sari-sari store.

Police recovered several spent cartridge cases believed to have come from a .45-caliber firearm. The evidence was submitted for forensic and ballistic examination.

Brig. Gen. Marcial Mariano Magistrado IV, Police Regional Office-13 (PRO-13) director, convened a case conference at the San Francisco police station to review the evidence and speed up efforts to identify and arrest the attackers.

Investigators presented updates on witness interviews, intelligence information, evidence gathered, and follow-up operations.

Magistrado ordered police units to intensify intelligence gathering, investigative work, and the manhunt for the gunmen.

PRO-13 also activated ‘Oplan Cure’ to reinforce the operation. Police were reviewing closed-circuit television footage, interviewing witnesses and pursuing other leads.

‘We are exhausting all available investigative and intelligence resources to identify and arrest those responsible,’ Magistrado said.

He urged anyone with information about the attack to coordinate with the nearest police station immediately./coa

There appears to be a disconnect between Vice President Sara Duterte’s ability to frequently travel abroad and her financial capability as declared in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said on Monday.

Ridon, in an ambush interview on the sidelines of Duterte’s trial at the Senate impeachment court, said it is also important to note that aside from the Vice President’s failure to show up, the common argument that she spends her own money for her trips is misplaced.

The lawmaker noted that Duterte has been out of the country for 91 days between 2025 to present, and he believes such frequency requires a budget of P5 million to P8 million – based on the United Nations’ daily subsistence allowance standards.

‘I think at this point, it’s also very important to push back already on their narrative that the Vice President’s trips should not be meddled with since she uses personal funds. But we want to clarify now: the Vice President has been out of the country from 2025 to 2026 for 91 days,’ said Ridon.

‘If we calculate how much her expenses are for her trips, this will amount to around P8 million – combined expenses for flights, daily needs, based on the United Nations daily subsistence allowance – this means the expenses for hotel accommodation, food, and other incidental expenses.’ he added.

However, Ridon noted that Duterte in her 2024 SALN – and even in years before that – did not declare any cash on hand. ‘Ano ho ang nakalagay sa SALN ng 2024? Una, wala pong cash dito, zero ‘yong cash in bank, cash on hand ng Pangalawang Panuglo. Pero pangalawa, even assuming na may cash ang ating Pangalawang Pangulo, hindi lang po niya na-deklara po ito, ano po ‘yong monthly income na kailangan ng isang tao para makagastos ng P5 million to P8 million na travel?’ Ridon asked.

‘What was in her SALN for 2024? First, no cash, the vice president had zero cash in bank or on hand. But second, even assuming that the vice president had the cash but she failed to declare it, how much should be the monthly income of a person so that she can spend P5 million to P8 million for travel?,’ Ridon pointed out.

‘I think around P3 million per month is needed so that her finances would not be drained up, to afford this P8 million (expenses for) her total trips. But how much does a Vice President earn? I don’t think it will reach P500,000 per month,’ he added.

Also, the lawmaker said that Duterte’s SALN also showed that her businesses were losing, which makes the possibility of her sourcing funds from her own ventures unlikely.

‘So, very important to clarify that even if the Vice President is supposedly paying for these trips from private funds, where does that private funds come from? Can it come from her salary alone? I don’t think so.’

‘Can it come from the businesses that supposedly they own or they are partners of? Probably not because we had seen in the financial statements of all the Duterte-Carpio businesses, the businesses are not doing well. So where does she source the money needed for these trips, 91 days out of the country, three months outside?’ he added

INQUIRER has asked Duterte’s office for their side regarding Ridon’s claims, but they have not yet responded as of posting time.

Possible graft?

When he asked about the possibility that the trips are paid for by Duterte’s donors and benefactors, Ridon said this may be tantamount to graft.

‘If that’s from friends, isn’t that like a prima facie graft case? When other people fund your trips? Right? So that’s a big issue.’

Earlier, Ridon – a member of the House of Representatives’ prosecution panel for Duterte’s impeachment trial – already released a statement questioning Duterte for her continued absence.

Ridon said it has been five weeks since the trial before the Senate impeachment court started – and months since the House committee on justice tackled the two impeachment complaints against her – but Duterte still has not showed up.

‘In the fifth week or eleventh day of the trial, Vice President Sara Duterte is still not present inside the Senate Impeachment Court,’ Ridon said in Filipino.

Currently, the impeachment court is tackling the prosecution’s Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which deals with accusations that Duterte misused the confidential funds (CF) allocated to her office.

The CF issue is an integral part of the allegations against Duterte, as a huge amount of the expenses made through these secret funds have disallowed by the Commission on Audit – P375 million CF expenditures made by the OVP in 2023, and another P73 million CF for 2022.

It was Ridon who said last April 20 that if this P375 million CF disallowance is upheld and affirmed, it would raise Duterte and her staffers’ liability – or the amount that they have to return – to P448 million.

Labor groups on Monday renewed calls to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) suspending the P85 daily minimum wage increase in Metro Manila, saying it has delayed the wage adjustment for millions of minimum wage earners.

In separate statements, the NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition, the Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), and Anakpawis Party-list urged the Pasig Regional Trial Court to allow NCR Wage Order No. 27 to take effect while also calling for longer-term reforms to the country’s wage-setting system.

NAGKAISA! welcomed the Office of the Solicitor General’s (OSG) move to seek the immediate lifting of the TRO, while maintaining that the Pasig court has no jurisdiction over the petition and that challenges to the wage order should have first been brought before the National Wages and Productivity Commission.

The coalition also questioned the Department of Labor and Employment’s (Dole) response to the case, saying the agency should take a more active role in defending the wage order it issued.

‘Employers are not merely trying to stop an ?85 wage increase. They are asking the courts to strip the country’s wage-setting system, flawed as it is, of its ability to enforce the wage orders it issues. If employers can simply run to the courts every time they dislike a wage order, then workers are left with rights on paper but no wages in their pockets,’ said Josua Mata, SENTRO secretary general and NAGKAISA! co-convenor.

NAGKAISA! spokesperson Rene Magtubo said the continued implementation of the TRO affects workers awaiting the wage increase.

‘Every day the TRO remains in force is another day millions of minimum wage earners are denied even this modest wage increase. Workers need leadership, not silence,’ Magtubo said.

For SENTRO, workers should have been given the opportunity to participate in proceedings involving the wage order before the TRO was issued.

‘This case is no longer simply about an ?85 wage increase. It is about whether workers can be excluded from judicial proceedings that determine their livelihoods, and whether employers can use the courts to delay even the modest wage increases that workers have already won.’

The labor federation reiterated its support for a legislated national living wage but said the existing wage order should be implemented while broader reforms are being pursued.

‘The real solution is not to freeze workers’ wages-it is to legislate a national living wage,’ Mata said. ‘Until that happens, employers and the courts must respect the law as it stands. Workers cannot be denied even the limited protections they have today.’

Meanwhile, Anakpawis Party-list also criticized the TRO, arguing that the P85 wage increase remains insufficient to offset rising living costs and renewing its push for the proposed National Minimum Wage Act of 2025, which seeks a P1,200 across-the-board daily minimum wage.

The Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 152 earlier issued a 20-day TRO suspending the implementation of the P85 daily wage increase until Aug. 13 after two construction firms filed a petition questioning NCR Wage Order No. 27. The wage increase, approved by the National Capital Region Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, was originally scheduled to take effect on July 25, with the P85 adjustment to be implemented in two tranches.

The Office of the Solicitor General has since asked the court to lift the TRO, arguing that the petition should have first undergone the administrative remedies provided under the Labor Code.

Malacañang has also expressed support for lifting the restraining order, saying concerns over the wage order should have been brought before the proper wage-setting bodies.

Separately, several senators, including Senate labor committee chair Joel Villanueva, Vice Chair Raffy Tulfo, and Sen. Risa Hontiveros, questioned the issuance of the TRO, citing provisions of the Labor Code that prohibit courts from issuing restraining orders against proceedings before the National Wages and Productivity Commission and regional wage boards. /mcm

After ‘Mary Grace Piattos’ – one of the supposed recipient of confidential fund (CF) payouts from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), another similarly sounding recipient, a ‘Piatos’ – figured during discussions on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

At the trial before the Senate impeachment court on Monday, counsel for the prosecution Lorna Kapunan presented an acknowledgement report for OVP’s CF expenditures signed by a certain Renan Piatos – spelled with a single ‘T’ – which was for the purchase of information worth P110,000.

Kapunan then asked the prosecution’s witness, Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil, as to what his observations were regarding the AR signed by Piatos.

Wamil said it cannot be allowed because it was received on December 27, 2023, which is way beyond the validity of the 2022 fourth quarter CF allocated to OVP.

‘I will show you another document, marked for the prosecution, P-1-8-619, another Piatos, named Renan Piatos. Ang amount is P110,000 and the date is 12-27-2023 […] What observation can you make or have you made as regards this acknowledgement receipt?’ Kapunan asked.

‘Based on this acknowledgement receipt, binayad po siya noong December 27, 2023, which one year po after no’ng supposedly coverage ng kanilang cash advance for confidential fund,’ Wamil said.

(Based on this acknowledgement receipt, it was paid on December 27, 2023, which is one year after the supposed coverage of their cash advance for confidential funds.)

Kapunan asked what should be the correct date for the release of the CF payouts, to which Wamil said that he cannot ascertain the true date of the release of funds.

However, upon clarification from Presiding Officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero, Wamil noted that the payouts should have been made between December 21, 2022 to December 31, 2022.

‘I cannot determine the correct date based on this document pero dapat po kasi eh pasok siya sa coverage ng kanilang cash advance based on the documents submitted to ICFAO (Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office),’ Wamil said.

(I cannot determine the correct date based on this document but this should have been made within the coverage of their cash advance based on the documents submitted to ICFAO (Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office).)

‘With the permission of counsel, December 21 to December 31, 2022 ‘yong covered period ng disbursement nitong confidential funds, Mr. Wamil, right?’ Escudero asked.

‘So when you say hindi pasok do’n sa period na ‘yon, no’ng December 21 to December 31, 2022. Dahil 2023 na nakalagay na taon supposedly, tama?’

(With the permission of counsel, December 21 to December 31, 2022 is the covered period of disbursement of these confidential funds, Mr. Wamil, right? So when you say it did not fall within that period, that’s from December 21 to December 31, 2022, because it was supposedly released in 2023, right?)

‘Yes po your Honor,’ Wamil said.

Renan Piatos is one of the three individuals with similar sounding names in the voluminous list of ARs under the OVP, for its confidential expenditures.

Renan’s signature on the AR was first revealed in March 2025, when House of Representatives lawmakers analyzed the documents from COA-ICFAO.

In a statement last March 26, 2025, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V – who was then deputy majority leader of the 19th Congress – said that apparent ‘relatives’ of Mary Grace Piattos were among the other recipients of CFs from Duterte’s offices.

The other name is a certain Pia Piatos-Lim, which uses the same surname spelling as Renan Piatos.

During the 11th day of Duterte’s trial, the AR signed by Mary Grace Piattos’ was also brought up. Kapunan also asked Wamil about the AR, to which the COA personnel said that the transaction violated the Joint Circular No. 2015-01 that mandates the use of confidential and intelligence funds.

According to Wamil, the transaction involving Mary Grace Piattos – P70,000 worth of medicines as reward – cannot be allowed since OVP did not attach any document that would prove that information gathering was successful.

‘Since it is payment of rewards, it is not enough to show acknowledgement receipts, they need to comply with the provisions of the Joint Circular as to the payment of rewards,’ Wamil said.

‘So this Mary Grace Piattos acknowledgement receipt, you are saying that it is a violation of the Joint Circular, and why?’ Kapunan asked.

‘Because it is not properly supported by documents evidencing success po, which is required under 4.8.5 of the Joint Circular 2015-01,’ Wamil replied.

After Kapunan’s presentation of the ARs involving Mary Grace Piattos and Renan Piatos, the lawyer showed more documents – and poked fun at them.

Kapunan showed ARs for a certain Andy Lim and Alejandro Pikit – which she jokingly said was the reason why she found it difficult to read Lim’s name because it sounds like ‘ang dilim’ – Filipino for ‘it’s dark.’

And the reason why it is dark, she said, is because maybe someone’s eyes are closed – or ‘pikit.’

Defense panel member Michael Poa objected to Kapunan’s line of questioning, saying that the latter supposedly puts more ‘color’ to the names stated in the ARs. But Kapunan countered, saying that she was merely stating the Filipino meaning of the names mentioned.

‘Your Honor I’m just reading, it says here, it says Andy Lim,’ Kapunan said.

‘It’s like Patty Ting, it’s the way it’s spelled, and the next one, maybe you will object again, it’s Alejandro A. Pikit. I was gonna say maybe the reason why it’s dark is because someone’s eyes are closed.’

‘Exactly our point, your Honor,’ Poa noted.

Eventually, Escudero asked Kapunan to move forward ‘accordingly.’

Wamil is the third witness presented by the prosecution for Article I of the Articles of Impeachment, which deals with alleged CF misuse in Duterte’s offices.

The CF issue is an integral part of the allegations against Duterte, as a huge amount of the expenses made through these secret funds have been disallowed by the Commission on Audit – P375 million CF expenditures made by the OVP in 2023, and another P73 million CF for 2022.

Prior to this testimony, Wamil said that the reason why only the OVP and Department of Education (DepEd) under Duterte were audited for CF expenses was because past iterations of these offices did not have such appropriations.

Winless Alas Pilipinas won’t go empty-handed as Alyssa Solomon earned the Best Opposite Spiker anew in the SEA V Cup Leg 1 on Sunday at Dong Anh Gymnasium in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Philippine women’s volleyball team saw its four-tournament podium streak come to an end after falling to Indonesia, 20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-16. Solomon tried to mount a comeback in the fourth set with Bella Belen, but their efforts weren’t enough as Alas women wound up winless for the first time since 2023.

The former Japan SV.League import out of National University got her second individual award in the tournament since 2023 Leg 2 when she and her school represented the country.

Solomon scored 12 against Vietnam and led Alas’ gallant stand against Thailand on Saturday with 13 points before yielding in five sets.

Sasipaporn Janthawisut captured the MVP after leading Thailand’s first-leg sweep to regain the title from Vietnam, 25-18, 25-17, 25-14.

She also won the Best Outside Spiker, while her teammates Natthanicha Jaisaen (Best Setter) and Kaewkalaya Kamuthala (Best Middle Blocker) were also part of the mythical team.

Vi Thi Nhu Quynh of Vietnam was the other Best Outside Spiker. Indonesia’s Rara Maradanti got the other Best Middle Blocker award, while Vietnam’s Nguyen Khan Dang earned the Best Libero.

Several transport organizations will hold a three-day transport strike on Aug. 10 to 12, the group Manibela announced on Monday, Aug. 3.

The scheduled strike, the latest since the last one held from July 22 to 23, is their protest against the relentless oil price hikes, the transport group said.

This week, motorists may expect some relief as oil companies implement price roll back on Tuesday, Aug. 4, after weeks of increases in oil prices. Based on fuel price movements, diesel prices are expected to go down by P0.50 to P1.00 per liter, while gasoline prices may decrease by P1.00 to P1.50 per liter.

Last week, oil prices increased by P6.80 per liter for gasoline, P7.32 per liter for diesel, P4.22 per liter for kerosene. /jpv

Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan appeared to poke fun at the unusual names signed on acknowledgment receipts (ARs) for the confidential fund (CF) expenditures made by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on Monday.

During the resumption of the trial, Kapunan went through some of the ARs for the OVP’s confidential expenditures attached to its 2022 audit report, including those bearing the names Andy Lim and Alejandro Pikit.

Kapunan said she could not initially read the names because it was ‘ang dilim’ (it’s dark) and because someone’s eyes were closed, or ‘pikit.’ ‘P-1-8-545, in the name of Andy C. Lim, for P50,000. Ah, Andy Lim, that’s why I couldn’t read it because it’s dark. If there’s an Andy Lim, maybe it’s because of Pikit?’ she said in Filipino.

Defense counsel Michael Poa objected to Kapunan’s line of questioning.

‘Objection, Your Honor. I’m sorry, but I’ve been giving leeway to opposing counsel, but I think she’s been coloring, you know, the contents of the documents more than what is shown in the documentary (evidence),’ Poa said.

Kapunan countered, saying she was merely stating the Filipino meaning of the names mentioned.

Poa fired back: ‘No, I think you know my point, Your Honor.’

Kapunan joked again.

‘It’s like Patty Ting, it’s the way it’s spelled, and the next one, maybe you will object again; it’s Alejandro A. Pikit. I was going to say maybe the reason why it’s dark is because someone’s eyes are closed,’ she said in Filipino.

Presiding Officer Francis Escudero asked Kapunan to move forward ‘accordingly.’

Kapunan’s questioning brought a light moment to the 11th day of the impeachment trial, but the prosecution also flagged serious issues with the OVP’s ARs.

Aside from Andy Lim and Alejandro Pikit, the name Mary Grace Piattos also surfaced. Lawmakers previously believed Piattos was a fictitious personality who used the names of a well-known coffee shop and potato chip brand.

It seems Piattos has a relative who also received CF payouts from the OVP, although their surnames differ slightly. Kapunan also presented an AR signed by a certain Renan Piatos.

‘I will show you another document, marked for the prosecution, P-1-8-619, another Piatos, named Renan Piatos. The amount is P110,000 and the date is 12-27-2023 […] What observation can you make or have you made as regards this acknowledgment receipt?’ Kapunan asked prosecution witness and Commission on Audit (COA) auditor Roderick Wamil.

Wamil explained the AR signed by Renan Piatos was not allowed because the document showed the payment was made on Dec. 27, 2023. Since the ARs were attached to the OVP’s confidential expenditures for the fourth quarter of 2022, Wamil said the payment should have been made between Dec. 21 and Dec. 31, 2022.

‘I cannot determine the correct date based on this document, but the right thing was that it should have been paid within the coverage of their cash advance based on the documents submitted to ICFAO (Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office),’ he added.

Escudero clarified with Wamil whether he meant that everything attached to the CF expenditures for the fourth quarter of 2022 that was supposedly paid after Dec. 31, 2022, was not allowed.

Wamil then confirmed this before Kapunan presented more ARs with unusual names.

Regarding Mary Grace Piattos, Wamil said the P70,000 worth of medicines provided by the OVP as a reward was not allowed because there was no attached document evidencing success in information-gathering.

According to Wamil, the payments to Andy Lim and Alejandro Pikit were also not allowed because they were made outside the cash advance coverage, similar to Renan Piatos’ case.

The following AR recipients and their corresponding rewards and issues were also mentioned:

Nova Santos (P85,000) – lack of document evidencing success in information-gathering

Mico Harina (P295,000) – lack of document evidencing success in information-gathering/payment outside coverage of cash advance

Janice Marie Revilla (P70,000) – no observation

Patty Ting (P150,000) – no observation

Feonna Biong (P80,000) – no observation

Sisfrunio Balsac (P70,000) – no observation

Gabriel Bisaya (P70,000) – payment outside coverage of cash advance

Early on the 11th day of the trial, Wamil said the OVP used P40 million in CF to buy medicines, but COA disallowed the expense because it was not among the purposes specified in Joint Circular No. 2015-01, issued by the Commission on Audit, Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Governance Commission for GOCCs, and Department of National Defense.

Under Joint Circular No. 2015-01, CFs may be used only for the following purposes:

Purchase of information necessary for the formulation and implementation of program, activities and projects relevant to the national security and peace and order

Rental of transport vehicle related to confidential activities

Rentals and the incidental expenses related to the maintenance of safehouses

Purchase or rental of supplies, materials and equipment for confidential operations that cannot be done through regular procedures without compromising the information gathering activity concerned

Payment of rewards to informers (non-employee of concerned government agency) subject to the following conditions

Uncover/Prevent illegal activities that pose a clear and present danger to agency personnel/property, or other facilities and resources under the agency protection, done in coordination with the appropriate law enforcement agencies

Others that may be authorized by the GAA or other special law/s

Former Commission on Audit Confidential Funds Unit auditor Roderick Wamil testifies on Day 11 of Vice President Sara Duterte impeachment trial that the disbursement voucher, which bears Vice President Sara Duterte’s signature, was non-compliant with the Joint Circular governing the use and liquidation of confidential funds. /dp

The Marcos administration supports the call of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) and labor groups for the urgent lifting of the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Pasig Regional Trial Court, suspending the P85 wage hike in Metro Manila.

Palace press officer Claire Castro on Monday said Malacañang shares the view of the Dole and groups that the wage increase implementation should not have been paused by the court.

‘We respect all courts, but the government and the administration also have the right to express what they believe is appropriate for our people and our workers,’ Castro said. ‘It appears that the proper remedy for anyone who had concerns about the wage order should have been to file an appeal with the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB), rather than bringing the matter directly before the court,’ she added.

According to Castro, the Office of the Solicitor General is ready to defend the wage order that was issued for the benefit of the more than 1 million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila.

Malacañang, however, deferred to the Congress for the passage of a legislated wage increase for all private workers in the country.

‘The President wants workers to receive fair and appropriate wages,’ Castro said.

‘While no law yet has been submitted for the President’s consideration, the government and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board will continue working to address the needs of our workers,’ she added.

Eleven labor organizations, unions and workers’ political parties on Monday asked the Pasig RTC Branch 152 to lift the TRO that halted the implementation of the P85 daily wage increase in the National Capital Region. The wage hike was originally set to take effect on July 25.

Pasig RTC Branch 152 Judge Marie Joyce Manongsong issued the 20-day TRO, which suspended the implementation of NCR Wage Order No. 27 until Aug. 13. The order followed a status quo ante order issued on July 24 by Pasig RTC Executive Judge Achilles Balauitan.

The court was set to hear on Monday the petition seeking a writ of preliminary injunction filed by construction firms Readycon Trading and Construction Corp. and R-II Builders Inc.

If granted, the preliminary injunction would stop the wage order from taking effect until the case is resolved or the court orders otherwise.

In their motion, the labor groups argued that Article 126 of the Labor Code bars courts, tribunals and other bodies from issuing temporary restraining orders or injunctions against proceedings before the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) or the RTWPB.

They also said the petitioners failed to exhaust the remedies provided under the Labor Code. Under Article 123, parties opposing a wage order must first appeal to the NWPC within 10 calendar days from its publication.

The labor groups noted that the appeal period expired on July 19, 10 days after Wage Order No. 27 was published on July 9. They said that judicial review may only be sought after the administrative appeal process has been completed. /mr