Windows26: Weekend Roundup: Espinosa claims Bato coerced him to implicate De Lima, Sandiganbayan drops case against Marcos estate, and more

Hi, reader!

A total of 183 Senate aspirants filed their certificates of candidacy, the Sandiganbayan dropped the civil case against the Marcos estate, and Jonvic Remulla was appointed as the new DILG chief.

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

VOTE PH 2025

183 Senate aspirants

A total of 373 aspirants filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) and certificates of nomination-certificates of acceptance of nomination for the senatorial and party-list race in next year's midterm elections. At the end of the eight-day candidacy filing period, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the figure was composed of 183 candidates for senator and 190 party-list groups.

On day five, Broadcaster Ben Tulfo formalized his senatorial bid as he filed his COC at the Manila Hotel Tent City. Should he win in the 2025 elections, Ben would join his brother Raffy in the upper chamber. Labor leader Sonny Matula also filed his candidacy on the same day.

Survey frontrunner Erwin Tulfo filed his certificate of candidacy on the sixth day, along with reelectionist Sen. Pia Cayetano. Musician and lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, a known diehard supporter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, also formalized his senatorial bid.

Reelectionist Sen. Bong Revilla submitted his COC on day seven. Meanwhile, former senators Gringo Honasan and Manny Pacquiao also filed their certificates in their bids to make a Senate comeback.

On the eighth day of filings, former Sen. Kiko Pangilinan appeared with his wife, Sharon Cuneta, to formalize his Senate bid. In a surprising turn of events, televangelist Apollo Quiboloy's lawyer also filed his COC on his behalf. TV host Willie Revillame capped off the day by filing his own.

After the week-long COC filings, Comelec is finalizing the list of candidates as they remove nuisance aspirants. Visit our VotePH page to stay updated on the latest election developments, learn about the candidates, and track important dates.

INQFOCUS

Addressing fish loss

In the coastal municipality of Daram, Samar, where most residents depend on fishing for their livelihood and daily sustenance, post-harvest fish loss remains a persistent issue. Here's how a renowned marine conservation group is working to tackle the problem in this in-depth report by Cristina Eloisa Baclig.

INQFOCUS

China's target: PH ores?

Rich in natural resources, the Philippines finds itself on the receiving end of China's aggression, not only in the West Philippine Sea, but also where mining is pervasive. Read more about how Beijing's appetite for the country's ores is affecting the mining trade in this special report by Kurt Dela Peña.

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