Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:
Senate sends bills on excise tax suspension to Palace
The bills suspending or reducing excise tax on fuel and resetting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections were transmitted to the Office of the President on Tuesday.
In a message to reporters, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III confirmed the transmission.
Dy signs final bill suspending fuel excise tax, sends it back to Senate
The final version of a bill seeking to suspend the collection of excise taxes on fuel products was transmitted back to the Senate after it was signed by House of Representatives Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, his office said Tuesday.
In a statement, the Office of the Speaker confirmed that Dy instructed the chamber to send to the Senate the final version of House Bill (HB) No. 8418 and Senate Bill (SB) No. 1982, both of which propose changes to the National Internal Revenue Code’s Section 148.
Marcos anti-drug ‘campaign’ more effective than Duterte’s, says Remulla
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s anti-drug “campaign” is more effective than the drug war waged by President Rodrigo Duterte, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla maintained on Tuesday.
“It is a campaign against illegal drugs. The president’s directive is that. We should follow the law. We should not game the system. Dati, akala nila (Duterte administration), basta pumatay ka ng limang tao, 10 tao, 20 tao, 20,000 tao, titigil ang droga sa Pilipinas,” Remulla told reporters in a briefing in this city.
Luistro: Skipping hearing hurts Sara Duterte’s bid to junk impeach raps
Should Vice President Sara Duterte skip the impeachment hearings at the House of Representatives, she runs the risk of losing her chance to convince lawmakers that the complaints against her have no probable cause, according to Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro.
Luistro, chairperson of the House committee on justice, said in an online interview on Tuesday that they have not yet received word from Duterte’s camp on whether they will attend the hearing on Wednesday, March 25.
Sara Duterte impeachment: No delays, no steps skipped — Luistro
While agreeing that proceedings on Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment must not be delayed, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro maintained that no steps can be skipped, as this would violate due process provisions.
In an online interview on Tuesday, Luistro was asked about Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco’s recent statements on his House Resolution No. 894, which urges the House committee on justice to expedite impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
Airport fee discounts to start April 1 – DOTr
Airport fees, such as the terminal and navigation charges, will be discounted starting April 1, 2026, in view of the series of oil price hikes, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced on Tuesday.
According to Transport Secretary Giovanni Lopez, the discounts will be applied to airports operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). He said that this is done to help the passengers and stabilize the price of airfares.