Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
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READ: Double Barrel memo key in Duterte case
THE Oplan Double Barrel memo signed by then police chief Ronald Dela Rosa in 2016 is a crucial document in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing trial for crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody war on drugs. The memo, which launched the two pronged anti-drug campaign, is a key part in the "mosaic of evidence" that prosecutors are assembling to prove that Duterte orchestrated systematic killings during his drug war, said ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti. The memo from Dela Rosa, now a senator, used the term "neutralize" in reference to drug suspects — a word that took on deadly meaning as bodies piled up in Manila's poorest neighborhoods.
READ: VP SARA BACK IN PH
IMPEACHED Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has returned home after nearly a month at her father's side in The Hague, where he is facing a charge of crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody war on drugs, her communications team said Monday. She told reporters ahead of her departure that her job in The Hague is done, saying former president Rodrigo Duterte's legal team was now set, and she had filed the "last document" needed at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The vice president added the family no longer intends to seek financial aid to pay for her father's defense. Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on March 11 and whisked away the same day to the Netherlands-based tribunal to face charges tied to his drug war, in which thousands of mostly poor men were killed.
READ: PH, US launch air drills, aim for 'strategic deterrence'
THE Philippine and US air forces kicked off joint exercises Monday aimed at boosting operational coordination and enhancing "strategic deterrence," the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said. The drills follow months of confrontations between Beijing and Manila over disputed areas of the South China Sea, with significantly larger US-Philippine air, land and sea exercises set for late April. Philippine Air Force spokesman Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said the PAF is deploying 729 personnel and various types of aircraft, including FA-50PH, A-29B Super Tucano, S-76A and S70i Blackhawk helicopters. The US Pacific Air Forces (Pafac), on the other hand, sent 250 personnel and 12 F-16 fighter jets.
READ: Palace backtracks on arrest hearings
MALACAÑANG on Monday said it would allow several high-ranking officials to attend the next hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which is investigating the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The announcement was a reversal of a March 31 letter in which Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, claiming executive privilege, said the Cabinet members would not attend subsequent hearings of the committee. Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon, Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Rommel Marbil, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief MGen. Nicolas Torre, Executive Director Anthony Alcantara of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime, and Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac would be appearing at a hearing scheduled on Thursday, April 10.
READ: Editorial cartooning masterclass on May 2
THE Manila Times School of Journalism is holding its third masterclass this year, with a one-day class on Effective Editorial Cartooning on May 2, 2025. The masterclass, aimed at helping aspiring artists and campus cartoonists elevate and develop their skills toward effective editorial cartooning, will be handled by Steven Pabalinas, who has had almost 20 years of experience as an editorial cartoonist, and who is the creator of the award-winning comic strips Divine Comedy and Pango Planet. Pabalinas' cartoons have appeared in prominent publications such as The Manila Times, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Davao Catholic Herald. His works have also been showcased internationally.
BUSINESS: Trade war fears hammer PSEi
In Business, The stock market plunged to its lowest in two and a half years on Monday as fears of an all-out trade war mounted. The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index fell steeply at the start of trading, dropping to as low as 5,804.56 in afternoon trade before paring the day's loss to 261.34 points, or 4.30 percent, for a 5,822.85 close — the lowest since Oct. 3, 2022's 5,783.15. The broader All Shares index also tumbled, shedding 146.67 points, or 4.03 percent, to 3,496.77. Philstocks Financial Inc. research manager Japhet Tantiangco said "the local market plummeted by the week's start as global economic worries continued to weigh on sentiment amid trade war fears, especially among major economies."
SPORTS: Cool Smashers begin title defense vs Angels
CREAMLINE will do whatever it takes to keep its dynasty and shoot for its fifth straight Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference crown when it clashes against the tough Petro Gazz side in the bestof- three championship series on Tuesday at the Araneta Coliseum. The 10-time PVL champions gun to display its caliber against veteran team and two-time Reinforced Conference champion Petro Gazz at 6:30 p.m. Despite the heartache as the Angels handed the Cool Smashers a loss in the semifinals, the league's perennial champions managed to rise above the challenge and barged into the Finals for the seventh straight time.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras' piece is about selective patriotism while Makabenta talks about the dispute over former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest and trial. Former senator Mercado's column is about the dangerous jokes, sexism, misogyny in the Philippine elections.
Today's editorial talks about the shortage of nurses in the country.
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