Archive - Report

Psychiatrist on Anti-Bullying Act: “Is it all just on paper? Are the schoolchildren and teachers aware? Does a child know who to talk to when bullied? When a child speaks up, do teachers, guidance counselors and other school authorities listen and help?”

In an Oct. 27 filing signed by lead counsel Peter Haynes, the defense said it did not oppose admitting P-1370’s statement but urged the judges to reject the recorded testimonies of P-1393 and P-1416.

There is a festering lethal drug trade in Cebu that the province’s police seem unable to fully deal with and account for, despite its claim of success in its anti-criminality crusade. As long as this is the case, Cebu will remain the center of drug-related killings in the Philippines.

The prosecution maintained throughout the submitted applications that the defense, the trial judges, and common legal representatives of victims will have the opportunity to question the witnesses live at court. They added that granting the requests will expedite the proceedings at trial.

According to the redacted filing, the evidence covers police records on anti-drug operations, the structure and activities of the Davao Death Squad, Duterte’s alleged support for the killings, and the practice of placing placards on some victims of the drug war.

The Oct. 13 withdrawal left the Senate impeachment court to decide only whether Duterte amassed unexplained wealth, inaccurately declared her assets and failed to divest herself of business interests.

The prosecution in the crimes against humanity case of former president Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court intends to present five witnesses who will testify at this year’s trial that will start on Nov. 30.

Their testimonies concern alleged murders by Philippine National Police members in Central Luzon and a policy to “neutralize through violent crimes, including murder, alleged criminals in the Philippines,” according to the filing.

Eighty-four percent of Filipino adults encountered a scam this year, up from 77% in 2025, according to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance’s State of Scams Philippines 2026 report.

In a response dated Oct. 5, acting Prosecutor Maame Mandaye Niang opposed the defense request to reduce the prosecution’s disclosed evidence from 62,130 items to 10,000, saying that doing so would require the removal of a dataset highly relevant to the case.

In a 15-page decision, Trial Chamber III approved the prosecution’s request to admit the prior recorded testimony of a witness identified as P-1100, who allegedly has knowledge of the “neutralization policy” and the Davao Death Squad.

The week’s most prominent witness was Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, who was subjected to searching questions by prosecution counsel Theodore “Ted” Te over 19 city government contracts worth about P33.2 million awarded to GenCorp Industries Inc., a company his sister had declared as a business interest in her SALNs.