Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
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READ: Go home, campaign, Duterte urges Robin
FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte has encouraged Sen. Robinhood Padilla to leave the Netherlands and return to the Philippines to campaign for PDP-Laban candidates in the midterm elections in May. In an interview, Padilla said the former president requested his immediate return, saying that his presence was crucial to strengthening the chances of PDP-Laban candidates in the elections. Duterte, who is the chairman of PDP-Laban, hopes that Padilla, the current president of PDP-Laban, can assist him more effectively from the Philippines rather than while he is in the Netherlands. The former president is detained at the Scheveningen Prison awaiting trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody war on drugs. Padilla was reportedly part of Vice President Sara Duterte's group that traveled to The Hague to check on the former president's well-being after he was arrested on March 11 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) upon returning from a trip to Hong Kong. Senate President Francis Escudero said Padilla did not require travel authority for his private trip to The Hague, Netherlands, noting that the Senate has long allowed its members to make private trips without having to obtain clearance. He added that the travel authority is only required if the trip is official, to exempt the official from paying travel tax, and to use a diplomatic passport. Padilla said although he would prefer to stay in The Hague, he feels obligated to return to the Philippines to follow the orders of their party chairman.
READ: Cabinet execs to skip Senate hearing
MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said the executive branch has declined the invitation to appear on the second day of the Senate inquiry on last month's arrest and extradition of former president Rodrigo Duterte. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin made the disclosure after committee chairman Sen. Imee Marcos bared that Cabinet officials won't be appearing at the hearing scheduled on April 3. The Palace executive also confirmed sending a letter to Senate President Francis Escudero and Senator Marcos. In his letter, Bersamin cited executive privilege and possible violation of the sub judice rule as the main reasons Cabinet officials who earlier appeared before the committee would not be attending the next hearing on the arrest of Duterte. He also argued that "all matters not covered by executive privilege have already been extensively discussed." The Presidential Communications Office earlier said the Palace will not prevent any Cabinet officials from participating in any Senate inquiry.
READ: Duterte's Covid response recalled, praised
AN infectious disease expert who advised the Duterte administration during the Covid-19 pandemic said Tuesday the former president, now facing trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity for his bloody war on drugs, wasn't so bad because of his achievements in public health. In a social media post, Dr. Edsel Salvaña said while Duterte was not a perfect leader, his accomplishments were often overshadowed by the controversial war on drugs. One of these, he said, was the enactment of the Universal Health Care Law, a milestone previous administrations had failed to achieve. Salvaña also defended Duterte's pandemic response, asserting that while not flawless, it was effective compared to other countries, including developed nations like the United States. He recounted his personal interactions with Duterte, describing him as "polite and humorous," someone who asked insightful questions and actively engaged with experts.
READ: No imminent uprising in BARMM over Duterte's arrest – report
A STUDY by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has debunked social media claims of an "imminent uprising" in Mindanao following the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte last month. The PCIJ report, released on Tuesday, disproved claims circulating on social media pages that have been used to propagate the narrative that several separatist groups were mobilizing their forces against the government, while portraying Duterte as a victim of injustice. Duterte, the country's first president from Mindanao, is facing charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court in connection with his war on drugs.
READ: Obiena's leap of faith into fog pays off
DESPITE foggy conditions, Filipino pole vault ace Ernest John "EJ" Obiena ruled the Taiwan International Pole Vault Championships at the Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan on Sunday, March 30. Obiena cleared 5.50 meters (m) in his third attempt to top the competition which was also joined by fellow Filipinos Hokket Delos Santos and Francis Allen Sillar in the men's side as well as Ma. Khrizzie Clarisse Ruzol and Jessa Marie Libres in the women's division. Delos Santos surpassed 5.15 m and Sillar aced 3.91 m; Ruzol and Libres went above 3.40 m. In a social media post on Tuesday, Obiena, who holds the Asian record clearance of 6.0 m, talked about having to take a figurative and literal leap of faith due to the foggy conditions at the competition.
SPORTS: Ateneo seeks to bolster semis bid vs DLSU
Seeking to bolster their Final Four bid, the Ateneo Blue Eagles look to get back at the De La Salle Lady Spikers in the UAAP Season 87 women's volleyball second round action at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today. Ateneo battles La Salle at 1 p.m. to kick-start the women's double-header capped by the UST-Adamson tiff at 3 p.m. Men's action take center stage in the morning matches with La Salle facing Ateneo at 9 a.m. and UST taking on Adamson at 11 a.m. Holder of the active longest winning streak in the women's tourney, the Blue Eagles shoot for their fourth consecutive triumph, halt their 15-game skid to the Lady Spikers and put themselves at the thick of Final Four contention.
BUSINESS: USTR flags PH barriers
AMID mounting concerns over US President Donald Trump's protectionist policies, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has flagged Philippine policies and regulations deemed as barriers to American exports of goods and services. The country is among 59 key export markets included in the USTR's 2025 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, released on Monday, which also identified hurdles to US foreign direct investments and electronic commerce. For the Philippines, these include high tariffs on agriculture products, restrictions on foreign ownership, and the "pervasive and longstanding problem" of corruption.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao thinks the drug war figures are fake, Fr. Aquino talks about wounded love, while Tatad asks if a revolutionary government will work in this day and age.
Today's editorial laments another attack on global trade by the Trump administration. Read more on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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