Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:
Marcos challenges China’s premier over West Philippine Sea at Asean meet
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. challenged Chinese Premier Li Qiang over recent clashes in the West Philippine Sea at regional summit talks on Thursday, as fears grow that conflict could erupt in the disputed waterway.
Li met the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at their gathering in Laos after a day of discussions dominated by the Myanmar civil war.
Senate probe into Quiboloy’s alleged crimes to resume on Oct. 23
Seven months since its last hearing, the Senate panel on women is set to resume its probe into televangelist Apollo Quiboloy’s alleged crimes on October 23, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Thursday.
The hearing will start at 10 a.m.
Raided Pogo hubs to be reused as schools, gov’t buildings – PAOCC
The government plans to adaptively reuse Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hubs in the country once forfeited, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Thursday.
According to PAOCC executive director Usec. Gilbert Cruz, they will collaborate with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) now led by Jonvic Remulla, and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to explore options for converting Pogo hubs into facilities such as schools and government buildings.
Escudero: P8-B yearly cost of mandatory ROTC may strain PH budget
The Philippine government would have a hard time funding the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) if it were approved and implemented at present, Senate President Chiz Escudero said on Thursday.
In a press conference, Escudero said he met with Defense Chief Gilberto Teodoro on Wednesday, who informed him that the implementation of mandatory ROTC would cost more than P8 billion a year.
After Alice Guo mess, Comelec to publish COCs, Conas for the first time
To prevent dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo’s material misrepresentation case from happening again, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will publish for the first time the certificate of candidacies (COC) of aspirants as well as the certification of nomination and acceptance (Cona) of party-list groups.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said this move would be done so the public could scrutinize the COCs and Conas, which would be published on the poll body’s website before the end of October.