Windows26: Weekend Roundup: Senate shakeup, Alice Guo’s identity, Miss Universe PH

Hello, reader!

This week's roundup covers the seismic shakeup in Senate leadership, the murky identity of Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, House approval of the divorce bill on final reading, and the new Miss Universe Philippines 2024.

This is your Weekend Roundup, your weekly fix for everything you need to catch up.

SENATE SHAKEUP

Zubiri out, Escudero in

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri relinquished the Senate presidency to Sen. Francis Escudero, saying his refusal to "follow instructions" in order to maintain the 24-member chamber's independence had "ruffled some feathers" and cost him the third highest government office.

Escudero later owned up to instigating the coup that ejected Zubiri from the chamber's leadership but rejected speculations that Malacañang was behind the power grab, clarifying that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had no prior knowledge of the change in Senate leadership.

But for Senator JV Ejercito, "somebody higher than the Senate" might have influenced his colleagues to replace the former Senate President. According to him, the coup rumor started when the Senate and the House traded barbs over the controversial people's initiative for Charter change, as well as the PDEA leaks hearing.

Following the seismic shakeup that ousted Zubiri from Senate presidency, the upper chamber released a list of rearranged committees, replacing several chairpersons to give way to the new leadership. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is now the new Senate President Pro Tempore while Sen. Francis Tolentino is elected Senate Majority Leader.

ON MY RADAR

Ten must-reads

I am not a spy – Bamban Mayor Alice Guo
Hontiveros flags Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's 'ties' to criminals
Guo's live-in partner runs illegal Pogos; he's also a public official, says Estrada
House approves divorce bill on final reading
CBCP hits House for approving divorce bill
Get to know Chelsea Anne Manalo, Miss Universe Philippines 2024
In memoriam: Filipina artist Araceli Dans
Happening June to August: 10 theater shows to watch this season
5 original Filipino fragrance brands to check out
Column of the Week: Is citizenship a feeling?

POVERTY IN THE PHILIPPINES

'Haka-haka' lang?

Government data says no. According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, 4.51 million households, or 25.24 million Filipinos, were poor in the first semester of 2024, which caused the poverty incidence to hit 16.4 percent. Read more in this special report by Kurt Dela Peña.

DATA JOURNALISM

Climate and environment

Dive into the numbers and understand the stories that matter through the eyes of INQUIRER.net's own journalists, who were selected to be part of the Environmental Data Journalism Academy. Reporting for these stories was supported by the academy, a program of Internews' Earth Journalism Network and Thibi.

⁠Poisoned waters: Laguna de Bay's steady crawl to brink of disaster by Cristina Eloisa Baclig

Extreme Heat as a 'New Pandemic': Thousands in PH Cancel Classes by Morexette Marie Erram

A 'ticking bomb': 47-yr-old building code puts Metro Manila at risk by Samuel Yap

Thank you for reading our Weekend Roundup, reader! See you again next week. For suggestions and feedback, please reach out to me at newsletter@inquirer.net.

Regards,

Samuel Yap

Digital Content Distribution

May 25, 2024

Visit INQUIRER.net for more latest news