INQToday: Apollo Quiboloy, 4 others to remain at PNP custodial center – Fajardo
Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:
Quiboloy, 4 others to stay at PNP custodial center – Fajardo
Apollo Quiboloy and his four co-accused will remain at the Philippine National Police (PNP) custodial center in Camp Crame, Quezon City despite a court order for their transfer to the Quezon City Jail.
The PNP cited concerns that the transfer might lead to “risk” and bail posting.
DND opposes Quiboloy’s plea for military custody before Pasig court
The Department of National Defense (DND) filed a motion to oppose the camp of detained Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s petition to transfer his custody from the police to the militia.
The motion was filed before Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 159 on Tuesday afternoon.
Article continues after this advertisementOVP’s 2025 budget talks deferred anew; panel terminates hearings
Deliberations on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) proposed allocations for 2025 have been deferred again by a House of Representatives panel after no one from the office showed up to defend their budget request.
Article continues after this advertisementAt the tail-end of the four-hour hearing on Tuesday, appropriations vice chair and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon moved to defer the OVP proposed budget out of disappointment with Vice President Sara Duterte’s absence.
Navy logs largest Chinese ship presence in WPS for 3rd straight week
The Philippine Navy on Tuesday reported the largest ever presence of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea, recorded for three consecutive weeks.
A total of 207 China Coast Guard (CCG) ships, People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) warships and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels were logged from Sept. 3 to 9.
VP Duterte says Romualdez, Co ‘manipulate’ national budget allocation
Vice President Sara Duterte accused Speaker Martin Romualdez and House committee on appropriations chair Zaldy Co (Ako Bicol Party-list) of controlling and manipulating the allocation of the national budget.
In a video of an interview shared with members of the media by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday, Duterte said:
“Ang budget ng Pilipinas ay hawak lang ng dalawang tao. Hawak lang siya ni Cong. Zaldy Co at ni Cong. Martin Romualdez. ‘Yan ang katotohanan.”
Co, other solons dispute VP Sara’s claim of 2 execs controlling budget
Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co and other House of Representatives lawmakers have disputed Vice President Sara Duterte’s claims that only two officials control the national budget, noting that decisions come from a collegial body.
Instead, Co said on Tuesday that Duterte’s statements are nothing but another scam attempt, which he believes Filipinos would not fall for.
Cassandra Ong, 51 others charged with qualified human trafficking
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on Tuesday filed qualified human trafficking charges against Cassandra Li Ong and 51 others.
The charges, filed at the Department of Justice, are related to their alleged involvement in the Lucky South 99 scam farm in Porac, Pampanga, according to PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio in a post on “X.”
Direct flights between Manila and Paris to start in December, says DOTr
Direct flights between the Philippines and France will be available starting December 8, said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday.
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista announced in a Palace briefing that these direct flights represent the first direct connection between the Philippines and Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic.
