Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) issued a subpoena against Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed on Monday.

According to the document obtained by Inquirer from Remulla, the subpoena duces tecum dated May 10, 2026 orders Dela Rosa to appear on May 14, Thursday, 10 am, at CIDG office in Camp Crame.

The subpoena was expected to be served in the Room 518 and 11 of GSIS Building in Diokno Boulevard in Pasay City, in Monteritz subdivision on Davao City, or in Barangay Bato in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.

This subpoena requires Dela Rosa to personally attend its investigation into alleged cases of extrajudicial killings in Davao during his terms as chief of the city and regional police, Remulla said on Sunday.

Dela Rosa is then expected to execute a sworn statement or affidavit, submit documents and other relevant information related to the CIDG probe, according to the CIDG subpoena.

‘Failure to comply without adequate cause or valid justification shall be a ground for the filing of a case for Indirect Contempt of Court,’ the subpoena signed by CIDG Director Robert Morico II, citing the Republic Act No. 10973.

Signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018, the RA 10973 grants the PNP chief and the director and deputy director of the CIDG the authority to issue a subpoena and subpoena duces tecum in relation to its investigation.

Remulla previously noted that the CIDG investigation is just a ‘purely internal matter’ and has nothing to do with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This subpoena also came after reports Saturday that the ICC has already issued an arrest warrant against Dela Rosa.

However, ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet on Saturday said that ‘no public arrest warrants have been issued in relation to the situation in the Philippines.’

In such a case, Remulla has also said the DILG was preparing a 10,000-strong task force for possible ‘dragnet’ operations to catch Dela Rosa if an arrest warrant had indeed been issued against the senator.

It was Ombudsman Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla who first announced on Nov. 8, 2025, that the ICC had issued a warrant to arrest dela Rosa, but other government officials said they have yet to receive a formal document.

Dela Rosa last attended Senate plenary sessions on Nov. 10 last year.

Since then, he has gone into hiding amid rumors of his possible arrest for his past role as the PNP chief from 2016 to 2018, when he enforced the Duterte administration’s brutal anti-drug campaign.

Dela Rosa is also among those named by the ICC as an alleged co-perpetrator of Duterte in his war on drugs.

On March 12, 2025, Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport and detained at Villamor Air Base the same day. He has since been held in The Hague.

A complaint against Duterte was filed with the ICC in June 2017. In March 2018, Duterte announced the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the court.

However, the withdrawal took effect a year later, in March 2019, allowing the ICC to retain jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019, while the country was still a member.

At least 6,000 people were killed during the war on drugs under Duterte’s administration, according to official government data. However, human rights watchdogs and the ICC prosecutor estimate the death toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.

Motorists will get some relief from high pump prices, as local oil firms will implement another round of rollback for diesel starting May 12.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced Monday that fuel retailers would implement the following adjustments:

Diesel prices will be reduced by at least P9.57 per liter, while kerosene will also decrease by P13.30.

Gasoline, meanwhile, will be costlier by up to P0.47 per liter.

The DOE earlier said that under the state of national energy emergency, the agency has the power to implement a limit on fuel price increases as well as impose a minimum rollback.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has opened for the first time its preparation stage for next year’s national budget to make the process of crafting the government’s spending program more transparent and accessible to civil society organization (CSO) observers and the public.

In a statement on Sunday, budget watchdog Social Watch Philippines (SWP) lauded the DBM’s move to open its technical budget hearings (TBHs) for the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which will be the basis for next year’s national budget law.

This is in light of controversies surrounding questionable allocations and misuse in recent years, as well as a follow-up to efforts of Congress last year to introduce transparency in the national budget deliberation.

‘Opening the technical budget hearings on a pilot basis is a commendable and necessary first step toward genuine budget transparency,’ SWP coconvener Ma. Victoria Raquiza said.

‘We thank [the] DBM for listening to the growing public clamor for accountability in how the national budget is crafted,’ added Raquiza, a professor of the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration.

Critical stages

Government agencies defend their proposed budget before a technical panel from the DBM during the TBHs.

The DBM opened the TBHs for the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on May 7.

It will similarly open the TBHs for the Department of Justice (May 11), the Department of Health (May 12), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (May 13).

According to SWP, critical stages of budget preparation, particularly DBM deliberations on agency proposals, had been conducted behind closed doors for years.

This was despite the impact that secrecy in budget decisions had on the strategic allocation and adequacy of budget provisions for public services, infrastructure, health, education and social protection.

Transparency at the outset

The group said greater transparency during the preparation stage should allow CSOs to better understand how agency ceilings are determined, how priorities are set, and how public funds are allocated before the budget reaches Congress.

‘This is an important opportunity to rebuild public confidence in the budget process after the controversies surrounding flood control spending and other questionable allocations,’ Raquiza said.

‘Transparency should not begin only when the budget reaches Congress. It should start from the very beginning,’ she added.

SWP also noted that public access to budget deliberations is consistent with Article III, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution, which guarantees the people’s right to information on matters of public concern.

Make practice permanent

Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo earlier said he expected government agencies to submit lower funding proposals for 2027, below the P11-trillion plan last year, due to stricter vetting guidelines triggered by the flood control corruption scandal.

Under the government’s two-tier budget process, ongoing spending is considered in Tier 1, and proposals for new and expanded spending are evaluated in Tier 2. TBHs are conducted from February to March for Tier 1, and from April to May for Tier 2.

Watchdogs’ clamor

While welcoming the move, SWP urged the DBM to make the practice permanent and to strengthen transparency measures, including publishing budget documents in machine-readable formats throughout the process.

The group also welcomed upcoming discussions between the DBM and CSO observers on improving and sustaining open TBHs in future budget cycles.

In August last year, Congress heeded the clamor of watchdogs by opening budget proceedings of the 2026 national budget to several CSOs, including the bicameral conference committee hearings.

This was an effort by the Marcos administration to rebuild public trust in the budgeting process which has been riddled with allegations of corruption and secretive last-minute manipulation.

During the hearings, budget watchdogs flagged pork-barrel-like provisions in the unprogrammed appropriations and bloated allocations for financial assistance programs, which they said perpetuated patronage politics.

The President signed in January the P6.793-trillion 2026 budget law, which the administration claimed to be free of pork and had safeguards against corruption.

Local stocks started the week higher as bargain hunters returned following last Friday’s losses, although investors remain cautious amid the lingering crisis in the Middle East.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) rose 0.43 percent or 25.88 points, to close at 5,986.85 on Monday.

Luis Limlingan, head of sales at stock brokerage house Regina Capital Development Corp., said the PSEi ended in the green as strong buying momentum during the morning session lifted the market.

‘However, gains were tempered by some profit-taking in the afternoon, while investors remained selective as more companies continued to release their first-quarter earnings reports,’ Limlingan said.

Philstocks Financial research manager Japhet Tantiangco said the market managed to rebound as investors snapped up battered shares, but the index still failed to retake the key 6,000 resistance level.

Trading activity remained weak, signaling continued caution among market participants.

Net value turnover stood at P5.05 billion, while foreign investors remained net sellers with outflows amounting to P146.61 million.

According to Tantiangco, investors were still taking a guarded stance due to the absence of a peace agreement between the United States and Iran.

Sectoral performance was mixed during the session.

The property counter posted the strongest gain, climbing 1.89 percent, while mining and oil suffered the steepest decline after dropping 1.81 percent.

Among index members, Puregold Price Club Inc. emerged as the top gainer, jumping 4.78 percent to P46 per share.

Meanwhile, DigiPlus Interactive Corp. was the session’s worst performer, tumbling 5.40 percent to P12.96.

Despite the modest recovery, analysts said the market’s inability to sustain a move above 6,000 suggested that investor confidence remained fragile as global risks continued to cloud the outlook.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is investing P2.5 billion this year to bolster the Philippines’ coffee industry with the development of a farm-to-market road network in Sultan Kudarat.

The DA said the project will provide access to 29,000 hectares (ha) of land. It noted that limited access to remote agricultural areas, in particular, has hampered large-scale crop development in parts of Mindanao.

In a statement over the weekend, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the agency hopes to develop the project ‘to increase domestic coffee production.’

Agriculture Undersecretary Jerome Oliveros said that Sultan Kudarat is one of the provinces in Mindanao that the DA identified to help drive self-sufficiency in coffee.

Oliveros said other areas, including Bukidnon, Davao del Sur and Agusan del Sur, will be incorporated into the planned Mindanao Special Reserve Areas for Coffee Industry Development. ‘We need to develop an additional 100,000 hectares to achieve self-sufficiency in coffee,’ he added.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the production of green coffee beans stood at 13,000 metric tons in the first quarter of 2026, down 0.4 percent from the same period a year ago.

Tiu Laurel said there is room to double coffee yields through better inputs, technology and farm access. The DA noted that the demand continues to surge, now estimated at 3.78 kilograms (kg) per person-one of the highest in Asia-‘driven by a rapidly expanding café culture and rising consumption.’

However, a previous report of the US Department of Agriculture projected coffee imports to increase almost 10 percent to around 378,000 metric tons, sourced mainly from Vietnam and Indonesia.

The DA also said the income potential is ‘significant’ as beans are now selling at around P300 per kg. Citing production models used by Nestlé, farmers could earn at least P300,000 per harvest even at a modest yield of one ton per ha.

‘At current prices, a hectare planted to coffee can generate roughly 30 percent more income than a similarly sized rice field harvested twice a year-underscoring its appeal as a diversification crop for farmers,’ it added.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) personnel who were earlier cited in contempt at the Senate have been turned over to the investigative agency.

This was confirmed by both Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and NBI Director Melvin Matibag after the two had a private discussion.

The nine NBI personnel were cited in contempt after they chased Sen. Bato Dela Rosa inside the Senate building in an attempt to arrest the senator.

Dela Rosa hurt his finger in the process after he slipped on a set of stairs inside the building.

Matibag vowed to investigate its personnel in contempt and send a written report to the Senate on Tuesday.

The arrest was prompted by an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for Dela Rosa’s supposed involvement in the drug war.

However, this was blocked by the Senate in accordance with its earlier resolution condemning extradition without the exhaustion of all domestic legal remedies.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday spearheaded a new vital lifeline for learners with the nationwide rollout of the enhanced Learners TeleSafe Contact Center Helpline (#33733), which now provides a direct connection to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) Crisis Hotline.

During his visit to General Tiburcio De Leon National High School, Angara showcased how the Department of Education’s (DepEd) two-way referral system ensures that learners facing mental health crises or protection concerns receive immediate professional intervention.

‘Sa ilalim ng liderato ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, mahalaga sa atin ang bawat magaaral kaya nais nating iparamdam sa kanila na hindi sila nag-iisa at laging may handang makinig sa kanilang pinagdadaanan,’ Angara said.

Getting in touch

‘Sa pag-uugnay ng ating #33733 Helpline sa mga dalubhasa mula sa NCMH, inilalapit natin ang kalinga at de-kalidad na healthcare sa bawat mag-aaral-dahil sa bawat tawag, tinitiyak natin na may katuwang sila tungo sa paggaling, kaligtasan, at panatag na kaisipan.’

The Learners Telesafe Contact Center Helpline may be contacted through #33733 (#DEPED), 09451759777 or via email [email protected] and Viber.

Through the support of PLDT Inc.’s contact center solutions, the helpline can now instantly connect distressed callers to NCMH specialists for expert crisis response.

Guidance, assistance

DepEd’s Learner Rights and Protection (LRP) officers provide immediate guidance and assessments while addressing urgent concerns and coordinating with appropriate offices.

Angara also toured the school’s Learner Support Center, a facility that integrates Guidance/Care Centers, Teen Centers, and Learner Rights and Protection Desks to provide a unified safe space for learners.

The Valenzuela City event was part of a simultaneous nationwide rollout, with parallel activities held at Cabatuan National Comprehensive High School in Iloilo City and Bulua National High School in Cagayan de Oro City.

YAKAP at Kalinga Caravan

During the visit, Angara also checked the YAKAP at Kalinga Caravan, a joint initiative with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) that provided free medical, dental, vision screenings and psychosocial support to mental health activities to around 200 learners, teachers and parents.

Youth leaders

He also welcomed 25 new members of the school’s Peer Hub, consisting of youth leaders trained by MentorHealth Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University to provide peer-to-peer mental health support and referral assistance to their schoolmates.

Zeus Embalsado, a Grade 12 learner, said the Peer Hub provides a more approachable support system for fellow learners who feel hesitant to discuss their concerns with adults.

‘Nakita ko ang kalagayan ng kapwa kong mag-aaral kung saan hindi sila minsan nakakalapit sa mga nakakatanda. Kaya naman napag-isipan kong sumali, para makalapit sila sa mga kapwa mag-aaral kung saan mas magiging comfortable sila,’ he said.

‘Ang nagtulak po sa akin na maging part ng Peer Hub ay mga experiences ko at para magbigay ng inspirasyon sa mga kapwa ko estudyante. Hindi lang din po inspirasyon pero kung saan ako makakatulong sa ating society,’ said Grade 12 student Daphne Fernandez.

Angara also observed an evidence-based orientation supported by Ateneo De Manila University for 40 parents on identifying and responding to bullying in order to support their children effectively while accessing school support channels.

Additionally, Angara visited the school’s kitchen to observe the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP), where hot meals are meticulously prepared by the School Parent-Teacher Association (SPTA) for participants of the ARAL summer remediation program.

These comprehensive interventions align with the Universal Health Care Act (Republic Act No. 11223) and the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-being Promotion Act (RA 12080), of which Angara was one of the authors and key proponents during his tenure in the Senate.

Celeste Legaspi said being cast as Older Allie in ‘The Notebook’ musical means a lot to her, since the character reminds her of her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for 10 years.

Theatre Group Asia announced the veteran theater legend’s casting in a press statement on Sunday, May 10, joining Sheena Belarmino and Morissette, who will play the Young and Middle versions of Allie, respectively.

Speaking about the significance of playing Older Allie, Legaspi recalled the time when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which was a difficult time for her and her family.

‘My family suffered when my mother got sick with Alzheimer’s for 10 years. It was one of the most difficult times in our lives,’ she said. ‘Although remembering that is painful, it will be my responsibility to honor my mother by bringing understanding and compassion to my role.’

In the original novel, the older Allie is already married to her longtime love, Noah Calhoun; however, her Alzheimer’s diagnosis causes her to forget several memories, including their marriage. It was also revealed that Noah is also battling cancer, kidney failure, and arthritis.

Legaspi said that bringing the ‘interesting’ character arcs of Noah and Allie onstage is a good challenge, and she looks forward to getting to know them more. She also spoke about the musical’s storyline, which is about family and how love endures all.

‘As I study the music of older Allie, I learn that the music is modern and exacting; at the same time, I will need to get to the heart of her. A great challenge. And I love challenges. Accepting challenges has been my motivation through all my years,’ she said.

‘What I see is the family. How its strength helps us all; how love as it goes through the ages can remain even stronger and more textured. When we say ‘love story’ it does not remain the same. It transforms and changes. That is the strength of true love,’ she continued.

Born into a family of artists as the daughter of National Artist for Visual Arts Cesar Legaspi, she is a legendary actress and singer, notable for her enduring contributions over the years. Some of her notable songs include ‘Tuliro,’ ‘Mamang Sorbetero,’ and ‘Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal?’ among others.

The singer-actress also took the stage in several theatrical productions, including ‘Showboat,’ ‘Jesus Christ Superstar,’ ‘Oliver!’, ‘Paglipas ng Dilim,’ and ‘Ang Larawan.’

Joining her, Belarmino, and Morissette in the upcoming production is Benedix Ramos, who will play Young Noah. The actors taking on the roles of Adult and Older Noah have not yet been announced.

‘The Notebook’ musical will be staged at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati, though further details on its staging are yet to be revealed.

Forging conversations about the horrors of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs is one of the main goals of Shugo Praico as the director of the limited series ‘Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence.’

Helmed by KC Global Media at Rein Entertainment, the gripping six-episode series follows individuals whose lives were affected by Duterte’s war on drugs. The center of the story is Father Tom (Ian Veneracion), who is in charge of a holistic drug rehab program, but is hesitant to comply with authorities planning to take over the operations.

One of the highlights of episode one is Father Tom’s fatherly bond with Kiko Agustin (Harvey Bautista), a drug addict in hiding after his father (Romnick Sarmenta) was found dead in his home.

‘There’s part of us as storytellers [to tell] the stories of the people that we heard. Ang mga characters na nandito represent ang mga tao [na dapat ikwento] not only sa Pilipinas but also globally,’ Praico said in an advanced screening event.

‘It’s a critical period in our history. It’s a story na hindi dapat natin makalimutan and dapat marinig ng ating kababayan,’ he continued.

(There is a part of us as storytellers to tell the stories of the people that we heard. The featured characters represent the people whose stories deserve to be told not only in the Philippines but also internationally. It’s a critical period in our history. It’s a story that we shouldn’t forget, and it should be heard by our countrymen.)

Political relevance

The series is especially relevant in today’s political landscape in the face of Duterte’s incarceration at The Hague following the arrest implemented by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity due to the alleged extrajudicial killings committed during his administration.

The drug war shook not only the country but the world for its violence as much as the allegations that the killings were state-sanctioned, a claim that the former president’s allies had tried so much to deny.

Duterte’s trial is expected to proceed after the ICC recently confirmed all charges against him, but his defense suffered a setback when his lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman and assisting counsel Dov resigned.

Aside from the series, two other movies about the former president’s anti-drug campaign came out during his term: ‘On the President’s Orders’ and ‘Gramo’. The first one made the rounds of European and US cinemas in September 2019, depicting a bloody picture of the war on drugs.

Three months later, the government came out with ‘Gramo’ (gram), a ‘rebuttal’ documentary from its point of view and which was intended to counter the bad impressions made by the first movie in the image of the country before the international community, and further justifying the killings as ‘saving the nation.’

Moral core

Veneracion, who stood as the series’ moral and emotional core, said he made an effort to be part of the project and did his best to rearrange his schedule to set aside time for filming.

‘I’m proud of this project. After reading the script – despite the schedules – I felt like I had to be a part of this. We have to tell this story. It’s the story of our people, history, and our humanity. It raises a lot of questions, and ‘yun ang gusto natin, to [ask ourselves] about the policies,’ he said.

Since ‘Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence’ is about a critical period of the Duterte regime, Veneracion pointed out that the series doesn’t intend to ‘solve problems and give answers.’

‘We are here to point out different perspectives – that is our intention. We want to show different perspectives through these characters on how to fix the drug problem, whether it’s to rehabilitate or punish them,’ he said, reiterating that people have different opinions about the matter and it’s a matter of having ‘long conversations’ with them to understand where one is coming from.

Agreeing with Veneracion, Praico hopes the series will foster open conversations among the public.

‘The story is also [a joint effort] of what our talents can show together. Sana magkaroon ng conversation with the people who see it, lalo na sa [pag-share ng] pananaw at paniniwala. Sa conversations na ‘to, magkakaroon ng pag-unawa sa isa’t isa,’ he said.

(The story is also a joint effort of what our talents can show together. I hope we can have conversations with the people who see it, especially about sharing points of view and perspectives. Through these conversations, we learn how to understand each other.)

‘Drug War: A Conspiracy of Silence’ also stars Jane Oineza, Yayo Aguila, Joem Bascon, Ryan Eigenmann, and Gabby Padilla.

Each episode lasts for an hour, though further details on the release date and platform have yet to be announced.

The Senate cited in contempt the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents who attempted to arrest Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa on Monday.

Sen. Joel Villanueva moved to cite the NBI personnel in contempt after surveillance videos presented at the plenary showed the agents chasing Dela Rosa inside the Senate building.

With the motion approved, newly elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano ordered that the NBI personnel be placed under Senate custody.

The NBI personnel were reportedly running after Dela Rosa to serve the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court.

Dela Rosa was tagged as former President Rodrigo Duterte’s co-perpetrator during the latter’s war on drugs.

Earlier, the Senate also granted Dela Rosa protective custody.