Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
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READ: Impeach complaint remanded to House
The Senate impeachment court on Tuesday voted to remand to the House of Representatives the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte but clarified the move did not constitute the dismissal of the case. Eighteen senators voted to remand the case while five opposed.The 22 senators on Tuesday took their oath as judges in the impeachment trial of Duterte.The court was convened after Senator-judge Ronald Dela Rosa moved to dismiss the case against Duterte. Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano amended Dela Rosa's motion to "return" the case to the House to issue a certification that the filing of the complaint against Duterte was "not constitutionally infirm." After a long debate on the matter, Dela Rosa moved to put his motion into a vote. Those who voted against the move to return the case to the House were Senator-judges Koko Pimentel III, Risa Hontiveros, Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, and Win Gatchalian.Those who were in favor of Dela Rosa's motion were Senator-judges Alan Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Go, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, Bong Revilla Jr., Robinhood Padilla, Francis Tolentino, Raffy Tulfo, Joel Villanueva, Cynthia Villar, Mark Villar, Miguel Zubiri, and Escudero. The Senate on Tuesday convened as an impeachment court after the senators took their oath as judges in the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte amid efforts by her allies to dismiss the complaint against her. The House of Representatives, which transmitted the articles of impeachment against the vice president to the Senate on Feb. 5, welcomed what it called "initial steps" to bring their complaint to trial and said their prosecution team was ready to present their case. Senate President Francis Escudero, who took his oath Monday evening as presiding officer of the impeachment trial of Duterte, advanced the convening of the court to tackle Sen. Ronald dela Rosa's motion to dismiss the case against Duterte — a bid that did not prosper. Sens. Risa Hontiveros and Joel Villanueva objected to dela Rosa's move and urged the Senate to stick with the scheduled oath taking of the senators as judges. Escudero agreed with Villanueva's view that the Senate "lacks the power to dismiss an impeachment complaint and has the constitutional duty to proceed with the trial."
READ: Facing Senate trial, Sara flies to Malaysia
AS the Senate prepared to convene for her impeachment trial, Vice President Sara Duterte flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to take a vacation with her family and to meet with the Filipino community there. Duterte earlier said that she wanted the impeachment trial to proceed as she wanted to have a "bloodbath," and her defense team stated that while they believe that the initiation of the impeachment process suffered from "serious constitutional infirmities," they were ready for trial. House spokesman Priscilla Abante believes that Duterte's trip to Kuala Lumpur would not derail the Senate in proceeding with its duty to try the case.
SPECIAL REPORT: Alarm up as PH becomes world's top rice importer
In other news, the Philippines has overtaken all other countries to become the world's top rice importer in 2024, an ominous milestone that experts warn signals not progress but the disintegration of the nation's food security. A landmark policy paper released this week by the Integrated Rural Development Foundation (IRDF) paints a stark picture of a deepening crisis. Titled "Philippines is a Rice Deficit Country: The Challenges, Policy Innovations, and Strategic Interventions," the report describes a "mega typhoon" battering Filipino rice farmers and identifies policy failures that have pushed the country into its most vulnerable position in decades. Authored by a group of leading experts — former University of the Philippines Los Baños professor Teodoro Mendoza, former Solair dean Rene Ofreneo, Federation of Free Farmers chairman Leonardo Montemayor, and IRDF executive director Arze Glipo — the report links the country's record-high rice imports, totaling 4.7 million metric tons, to longstanding structural weaknesses and recent government decisions, including Executive Order 62, which slashed tariffs on imported rice from 35 percent to just 15 percent.
READ: Teves seeks continued detention at NBI facility
EXPELLED Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Tuesday filed an urgent motion to remain detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) facility in Building 14 of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) compound, citing grave security risks and international treaty obligations. In a consolidated motion filed before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 in Manila, Teves' legal team, led by Ferdinand Topacio, argued that transferring him to the Manila City Jail would violate a diplomatic agreement with Timor-Leste and expose him to "torture, inhuman treatment, or extrajudicial harm." Likewise, the motion seeks permission for Teves to attend court hearings through videoconference, citing precedents for high-profile detainees. Also, the motion reveals details about Teves' deportation from Timor-Leste on May 29, 2025, following a contentious legal battle. Timor-Leste's highest court had blocked his extradition, citing a "well-founded risk of torture or degrading treatment" in the Philippines, as documented in a ruling attached to the petition.
BUSINESS: Net FDI now down five months in a row
Topping business, net foreign direct investments (FDI) contracted for a fifth straight month in March on an annual basis, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed on Tuesday, amid heightened uncertainties arising from US tariffs and domestic political tensions. The central bank reported a 27.8-percent year-on-year drop in net FDI to $498 million, from $689 million a year earlier. The decline, however, narrowed from the 61.6-percent plunge seen in February but was higher compared to the -20.0 percent posted at the start of the year. Uncertainties over protectionist policies promised by then US President-elect Donald Trump were tagged when net FDI first began slumping in November, by 16.2 percent. The decline markedly worsened to 85.2 percent in December, but 2024 overall still ended with a 0.1-percent gain. Trade worries continued to be cited as investments fell anew in January this year and in February when Trump started following through with threatened tariff hikes, although the latter's 61.6-percent plunge was also due to base effects.
SPORTS: Obiena places fifth in Netherlands tilt
Over to sports, Filipino pole vault ace Ernest John "EJ" Obiena placed fifth at the FBK Games in the Netherlands on Monday midnight (Manila time). Obiena soared to a 5.66-meter clearance, losing to third placer American Keaton Daniel and fourth Chinese Tao Zhong via countback. Like Obiena, Keaton and Zhong cleared the 5.66-meter (m) height in just one try as well as the 5.56-m bar. On the other hand, Obiena, who skipped the 5.40-m starting height, needed two attempts to ace 5.56 and therefore finished behind Keaton and Zhong. After clearing the 5.66-m height, Obiena tried to surpass 5.74 but failed in three attempts. Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Christopher Nilsen of the United States cleared 5.82 m to win the gold medal.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists, as both give their insights on the Senate convening as a court in impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte.
Today's editorial says the United States remittance tax is an unjust punishment for Filipinos. Read more in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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