INQToday: Cassandra Ong now detained at Correctional, but still under House jurisdiction

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

Some Filipino fishers able to access Panatag Shoal in WPS, others blocked

Some Filipino fishermen were able to come as close to a few hundred meters away from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, but some of them were forced back.

This was the report of the fishermen who attended the Fisherfolk Congress in Subic, Zambales, National Security Council (NSC)  spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said on Thursday.

Cassandra Ong now detained at Correctional, but still under House jurisdiction

Whirlwind Corporation stakeholder Katherine Cassandra Ong has been transferred to the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), House of Representatives Secretary General Reginald Velasco said.

Velasco in a statement sent to reporters on Thursday said that Ong was transferred on Wednesday to the CIW, but the House still retains jurisdiction of the said resource person.

Some senators intend to slightly raise the OVP’s budget, says Zubiri

The fate of the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) remains uncertain in the Senate, but some senators have already signified their intent to push for the increase in the agency’s 2025 funding.

Former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters about this possibility in a Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday.

Bayan drafting impeachment complaint vs VP Sara Duterte – Casiño

Progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) is in the process of drafting an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, chairperson and former lawmaker Teddy Casiño said on Thursday.

In a press briefing for Bayan Muna’s national convention in Quezon City, Casiño confirmed that they will file the impeachment complaint — if finalized — before the House of Representatives once its session resumes in November.

Taal Volcano update: Phreatic eruption logged; Alert Level 1 stays

Taal Volcano had a minor phreatic eruption early Thursday afternoon, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

“A minor phreatic eruption from Taal Volcano Island’s Main Crater at 12:39 p.m. today, 26 September 2024, was captured by the thermal camera of the Daang Kastila Observation Station (VTDK),” Phivolcs said in a Facebook post.

Sunken tanker off Bataan refloated – Coast Guard

Motor tanker (MTKR) Jason Bradley, which sank off Mariveles in Bataan over a month ago, was refloated on Wednesday and will be towed to Barangay Alas-asin, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

In a statement on Thursday, PCG said authorities already conducted oil sampling from the vessel after the refloating process Wednesday afternoon.