Blog

Once allies during the 2022 elections, Duterte Diehard Supporters (DDS) and Marcos loyalists now differ in their calls during their separate protest actions outside the premises of the Senate as it convenes as a court for the trial of impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Aside from the erstwhile supporters of the UniTeam alliance, members from the left-wing Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) — who reiterated their mantra that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Duterte are “no different” from each other — also staged demonstrations in front of the upper chamber headquarters.

Pro-Marcos Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) movement dared the senators to convict Duterte, while the DDS group Hakbang ng Maisug warned of “zero votes” for senators who will vote to do such a move.

FDNY movement spokesperson Giselle Albano said the group will stage rallies in front of the Senate until Duterte is convicted. 

“We will not stop until we the people get the justice we deserve,” Albano said in an interview.

On the other hand, Hakbang ng Maisug protesters hold placards which stated in Filipino: “Make accountable and do not vote for the congressmen and senators who favor the impeachment of VP Inday Sara Duterte.”

A total of 1,191 police officers have been penalized administratively from January 1 to May 6, 2026 as part of the national police force’s internal cleansing and disciplinary efforts, data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed.

The Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) said that among the penalties imposed were dismissal from service, suspension, demotion, forfeiture of salary, restriction, reprimand, and withholding of privileges.The sanctions were based on the gravity of the offenses and imposed in accordance with existing laws and regulations.

Among those penalized, 551 personnel were suspended, 353 were dismissed from service, 176 faced salary forfeiture, 63 were demoted, 23 received reprimands, 20 had privileges withheld, and five were placed under restriction.In a statement on Tuesday, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. emphasized that disciplinary actions are enforced regardless of rank or position as part of the organization’s efforts to preserve accountability and institutional integrity. 

“It is important that we maintain public trust through a disciplined and professional police force,” Nartatez said in Filipino.

Separate records from the DIDM showed that from August 26, 2025 to May 6, 2026, a total of 1,108 personnel were dismissed from service under the PNP’s intensified disciplinary drive.

The figure included 1,020 Police Non-Commissioned Officers, 52 Police Commissioned Officers, and 36 Non-Uniformed Personnel, reflecting the PNP’s policy of accountability across all ranks.

Local taxi drivers and operators are planning a caravan rally to protest the “unfair” distribution of government fuel subsidies, alleging that unregistered “colorum” tricycles and transport network vehicle service (TNVS) units are being prioritized over legitimate public utility vehicles (PUVs).

The Samahan ng mga Taxi Drivers sa Bacolod (SMTDB) and the Taxi Operators Negros Occidental Association (TONO) made the statement during a press conference in Bacolod City on Monday, calling on government agencies to include their 520 members in fuel subsidy programs and other assistance from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“Taxi operators have been serving Bacolod for decades. We are the original public utility vehicles—we have franchises, registration papers, city stickers, and business permits to ensure passenger safety. Yet when government programs are rolled out, taxi drivers are always left behind,” SMTDB president Ronald Allan Salgado said in a statement.

The groups claimed that while compliant taxi operators shoulder high costs to meet regulatory requirements, a substantial portion of recent fuel subsidies distributed by the LTFRB, DSWD, and local government units went to “colorum” tricycles and TNVS units allegedly operating with “ghost drivers” and “ghost riders.”

The Sandiganbayan on Tuesday ordered a witness from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to produce documents containing the proponents of infrastructure projects.

During the Third Division’s hearing on Tuesday, Associate Justice Ronald Moreno issued the subpoena to compel engineer Gerald Longoria of the DPWH programming division to bring the said documents before the anti-graft court.

Longoria testified during the malversation trial of former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who is linked in the P92.8 million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan which prosecutors say is a “ghost” project. The camp of Revilla, who was accused of getting a 30-percent “commitment” for the project, repeatedly denied the allegation.

Longoria is one of the personnel under late DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral. According to Longoria, Cabral produced the document which identified Revilla as the alleged proponent of the Pandi project.

A proposal to provide a P3,000 incentive for teachers to be given when the country celebrates the World Teachers’ Day has been approved by the House committee on basic education and culture.

In a statement on Tuesday, Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales confirmed that the committee approved the proposal during its Monday meeting.

The recommendation includes House Bill (HB) No. 4531 which he and Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan authored.

The bill seeks to increase the World Teachers’ Day Incentive Benefit (WTDIB), which is given to more than 950,000 public school teachers nationwide, from P1,000 to P3,000.

The World Teachers’ Day is celebrated every October 5, as established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

“We are deeply grateful to the Romulo committee for endorsing this important measure,” Gonzales said, referring to Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo who heads the committee.