INQToday: China Coast Guard’s ‘monster ship’ still in Escoda – PCG

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

China Coast Guard’s ‘monster ship’ still in Escoda – PCG

China Coast Guard’s (CCG) “monster ship” remains within Escoda (Sabina) Shoal contrary to a previous report that it had left, Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), said on Wednesday.

Tarriela also confirmed the presence of a 135-meter CCG ship with hull number 5303 within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The ship was spotted some 60 nautical miles west of Lubang Island on July 14, as revealed by WPS monitor Ray Powell.

Duterte on her ‘designated survivor’ remark: ‘Not a joke, bomb threat’

Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday said her self-appointment as “designated survivor” during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation address was “neither a joke nor a bomb threat.”

She, however, refused to clarify what she meant.

Alice Guo may have left PH using Chinese passport – Gatchalian

It is possible that suspended Bamban Mayor  Alice  Guo had already left the country using her Chinese passport.

This possibility was raised on Wednesday by Sen. Sherwin  Gatchalian.

Rescued Malaysian testifies Chinese sold him to Bamban Pogo for P300,000

A rescued Malaysian national testified before a House of Representatives panel that his friend, a Chinese, sold him to the raided Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) hub in Bamban, Tarlac for P300,000.

During the motu proprio investigation of the House committee on public order safety on Wednesday, a Pogo worker identified as “Dylan”, not his real name, said he came to the Philippines in 2021 from Dubai after his old company moved to the Philippines.

Nancy Binay-Alan Cayetano conciliation meeting in the offing

A closed-door conciliation meeting between Senators Nancy Binay and  Alan Peter Cayetano will be spearheaded by the chamber’s ethics panel to address the tension between the two lawmakers after a heated discussion on the new Senate building.

Panel head and Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, in an ambush interview on Wednesday, said the rules of the committee have been approved and only need to get published.

Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, father of Kobe Bryant, dies at 69

Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of the late Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, has died, his alma mater announced Tuesday.

Bryant, who spent eight seasons in the NBA with three different franchises, was 69. The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing La Salle coach Fran Dunphy, reported that Joe Bryant recently had a massive stroke.