Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:
Marcos to name new DepEd secretary this week
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said he would name a new Education secretary by the end of the week, as it is important to move forward after Vice President Sara Duterte’s resignation from his Cabinet.
“Well we have to carry on, and the Department of Education (DepEd) is quite possibly, arguably the most important because education is that important, so no matter the change of leadership in the department, we still have to carry on … I would like to be able to announce the appointment of the DepEd secretary by the end of the week,” Marcos said in an ambush interview in Manila.
Marcos on Dutertes’ reported Senate bid: ‘It’s a free country’
“It’s a free country,” President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday in reaction to the reported plan of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his two sons to seek a Senate seat in the 2025 midterm elections.
“They’re allowed to do whatever they want. I really have no reaction to it; besides, it’s still early,” added the President.
Marcos: Ayungin incident not an armed attack but deliberate, illegal
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday that while the recent Ayungin Shoal confrontation was not an armed attack, it was still a deliberate and illegal action.
Marcos spoke for the first time on the confrontation in the West Philippine Sea where Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) attacked Philippine Navy personnel, leaving one crewman without a thumb.
US: Chorus vs threats to peace, stability in South China Sea growing louder
The Department of Foreign Affairs has filed another diplomatic protest against China’s aggressive acts in the West Philippine Sea after another encounter on June 17 in Ayungin Shoal where Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) personnel boarded a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship on a resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre.
Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said on the sidelines of the East-West Center’s International Media Conference that “we have already sent a note verbale” to Beijing, although he did not mention when exactly it was filed.
AMLC: Guo lists ‘Wen Yi Lin’ as her mother in bank accounts
Suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo voluntarily listed a certain Wen Yi Lin as her mother when she opened her bank accounts, the Anti Money Laundering Council (AMLC) disclosed on Wednesday.
It was Atty. Emmett Manantan—Director of AMLC’s Investigation and Enforcement Department—who confirmed the matter to senators on Wednesday.