Windows26: November 2024

Friday, 29 November 2024

Weekend Roundup: Marcos-Duterte’s widening rift, KathDen’s historic box office record, and more

Hello, reader!

This week, we covered President Marcos' response to VP Duterte's controversial remarks and heightened security following her alleged "kill order." Plus, KathDen's historic box office hit.

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

UNITEAM NO MORE

Widening rift

After letting past tirades of Vice President Sara Duterte pass, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lashed back at his constitutional successor's latest rant, which he described as a diversionary tactic to stifle Congress' search for truth on her office's use of confidential funds.

Duterte's statement that she hired a person to kill Marcos is an "active threat," Malacañang said. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has referred the matter to the Presidential Security Command (PSC) "for immediate proper action."

The PSC has "heightened and strengthened" its security measures following the vice president's assassination remark targeting the president, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

According to Sara, however, her statement was "not a threat" as she backtracked on her remarks. She clarified that it was just a warning about her planned "revenge from the grave" should she end up dead amid a threat to her life.

NBI SUBPOENA

Duterte no-show

No one is above the law, the Department of Justice (DOJ) stressed amid questions raised over the filing of cases against VP Duterte. DOJ Undersecretary Jesse Andres explained that holding high positions in government does not exempt public officials from accountability.

With the DOJ's directive, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) issued a subpoena to the vice president regarding her alleged assassination threat against the president. She was commanded to appear before the NBI Main Office on Friday, November 29.

In particular, the subpoena was meant "to shed light on the investigation for alleged grave threats" under Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act and for a possible violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

But Duterte was a no-show at the NBI on Friday, citing a scheduling mix-up. Instead, she sent her lawyer to the bureau's headquarters in Manila to request a rescheduling of her appearance to address her inflammatory remarks.

INQFOCUS

Nuisance, Bio-N

Our in-depth stories this week include Kurt Dela Peña's report on landless farmers getting a taste of owning land, cheaper PH-made fertilizer in chains, as well as Cristina Eloisa Baclig's explainer on what constitutes a nuisance candidate.

Sagibu: Landless farmers get taste of owning land
Bio-N: Cheaper PH-made fertilizer in chains
Explainer: What is a nuisance candidate?

ON MY RADAR

Must-reads

AFP distances itself from Marcos-Duterte spat
'Spare us from political noise', PNP says amid Marcos-Duterte spat
Palace: Rodrigo Duterte's 'insulting' call to AFP just for Sara takeover
Current political feuds won't affect economy — Neda
Fewer storms hitting PH but more intense, dangerous
'Hello, Love, Again' crosses P1-billion mark, makes box office history
Olivia Rodrigo gives birthday gift to Marian Rivera's daughter Zia
John Arcilla to celebrities joining politics: Bakit ka nandyan?
Chito Miranda defends wife Neri Naig after arrest: 'Never siya nanloko'
Column of the Week: Emotions taking over politics

Thanks for reading our Weekend Roundup, reader! For suggestions and feedback, please reach out to me at newsletter@inquirer.net.

Regards,

Samuel Yap

Digital Content Distribution

November 30, 2024

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Thursday, 28 November 2024

House panel pauses probe so VP Duterte can also face NBI

UPDATE PREFERENCES

November 29, 2024

Hi there, reader! Today, we're covering the House panel's decision to pause its probe into VP Duterte to allow the NBI investigation, along with updates on the 2025 national budget.

House panel pauses probe so VP Duterte can also face NBI

The House of Representatives panel looking into Vice President Sara Duterte's alleged misuse of public funds has postponed its hearing on Friday to give way to the National Bureau of Investigation's probe.

Read the full story

Gov't: No new taxes despite P6-trillion budget, political noise

The government's priority projects aimed at improving food security, infrastructure, and the economic climate have been assured of funding for 2025 and beyond without the need for new taxes, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Thursday.

Read more

Neda: Fate of rice tariff up to Marcos

Amid the quicker uptick in rice prices in October, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said it would submit its recommendations to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday for him to decide on rice import tariffs.

Read more

OVP, Akap among thorny items in bicam budget talks

The bicameral congressional committee set to fine-tune the national budget for 2025 on Wednesday moved to create a technical working group (TWG) that would hammer out the differences between the Senate and the House versions of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), a move that again keeps deliberations away from public scrutiny amid calls to open these discussions to the public.

Read more

Zobel lone Filipino in inaugural list of Top 50 Thought Leaders

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chair of the country's oldest conglomerate, was recognized as the lone Filipino business leader in London-based Thinkers50's inaugural Leaders50 list for spearheading "inspiring purposeful action" and steering Ayala Corp. into the diversified, multibillion-peso company it is today.

Read more

EDITORIAL: The spectacle of selective justice

With a multitude of instances of Lady Justice winking conspiratorially at a privileged few, how the authorities deal with the Dutertes' criminal acts — Vice President Sara Duterte for "masterminding" the possible murder of three officials, and he for calling on the military to intervene in "a fractured governance" — bears close scrutiny. Will the relevant authorities finally step up and prove, once and for all, that no one is above the law?

Read more

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