Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:
Satur Ocampo, France Castro guilty of child abuse – Tagum City court
Former Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo and incumbent ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro have been found guilty of child abuse by a court in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.
Their conviction stemmed from accusations that they held minors during a solidarity mission in Talaingod, Davao del Norte in November 2018.
NDRRMC: 2 reported dead in Mindanao due to habagat
Two individuals in Northern Mindanao and Davao Region reportedly died due to the southwest monsoon, locally known as habagat, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
In a situational report on Monday, the NDRRMC said 60,841 families were affected, two were reported injured, and one was reported missing.
Chinese ship spotted patrolling near Lubang Island
A 135-meter Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ship was spotted some 60 nautical miles (nm) west of Lubang Island on Sunday afternoon, according to an American maritime expert.
“At 16:20 (4:20 p.m.) yesterday the 135-meter China Coast Guard 5303 arrived 60nm west of the Philippines’ Lubang Island and is now conducting an intrusive patrol at that location,” West Philippine Sea (WPS) monitor Ray Powell posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday.
Robin Padilla files anti-political dynasty bill
Senator Robin Padilla has filed a bill seeking to fulfill the 1987 Constitution’s mandate to prohibit political dynasties in the country.
In a statement on Monday, Padilla said his motivation for filing Senate Bill (SB) No. 2730 is the belief that it’s now time “to break the barriers that prevent the best and the brightest from serving the Filipino people.”
Meralco rates higher by P2 per kWh in July
Customers of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) will have to pay more to settle their power bills this month, with rates soaring by P2 per kilowatt-hour.
Meralco said rates in July will increase by P2.1496 to P11.6012 per kWh from P9.4516 per kWh last month.
Fuel price rollback effective Tuesday, July 16
The motoring public can see a slight drop in fuel prices starting Tuesday, after four consecutive weeks of increases.
In separate advisories, Shell Pilipinas and Seaoil said the per-liter prices of diesel and kerosene would dip by 95 centavos and P1.15, respectively.