INQToday: Admin officials no-show in next Senate hearing on Duterte arrest

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

Admin officials no-show in next Senate hearing on Duterte arrest

Administration executives will not attend Thursday’s second Senate hearing on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest, Sen. Imee Marcos’ office confirmed on Tuesday.

This was based on a letter from Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin dated March 31 and addressed to Sen. Marcos and Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

Duterte camp scrambling to stop ICC trial before it starts – lawyer

Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s legal counsel is looking to challenge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction on his crimes against humanity case to prevent it from reaching trial at all costs, a lawyer representing extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims said Tuesday.

Because once the trial takes place, it would be hard for Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, to counter the “surmounting” evidence against him, according to Atty. Neri Colmenares.

PH needs to boost quake preparedness, says OCD

Following the destructive magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand last week which claimed thousands of lives, an official from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Tuesday admitted that the Philippines still has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to disaster preparedness.

At a public briefing, OCD spokesperson Director Chris Noel Bendijo emphasized how crucial it is to comply with the National Building Code, noting that preparations for the “Big One” would be in vain if the infrastructure is not robust enough.

DFA says kin’s plea to come with PH rescue team in Myanmar ‘not recommended’

The Department of Foreign Affairs does not recommend that the relatives of two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), missing since an earthquake hit Myanmar on March 28, fly out with the Philippine rescue team, a DFA official said on Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega made this response to a request by the parents of Edsil Jess Adalid to join the country’s contingent team in Myanmar before dawn Tuesday.

Some ex-Pogo workers retrieved devices from scam hubs – PNP ACG

Some former workers of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) retrieved devices from their facilities during the government’s crackdown on scam hubs.

This was the warning of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) at a press briefing in Camp Crame on Tuesday, after announcing the arrest of a man in Manila for selling a text blaster linked to a Pogo.