Trust in news in the Philippines plummeted by 10 points in 2026, the steepest decline among all 48 markets covered by this year’s Reuters Institute Digital News Report, amid deep political divisions, sustained attacks on the media and a continued shift toward social media, video platforms, creators and AI tools.

Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, whose defection from the Cayetano bloc broke the impasse in the Senate leadership struggle in favor of the Gatchalian-led group, will preside over the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which is set to begin on July 6, a highly reliable source said.The source stressed Escudero will not be Senate president

What Tulfo’s trenchant criticism failed to mention is that certain members of the government’s armed personnel are not only violent when they are performing their duty—they are as violent off of it and in dealing with hapless civilians. Sandatahang Dahas’s March 2026 data offer proof to these circumstances and to the alarming number of attacks against state agents outside of official operations.

About 96% of Filipino children aged 12 to 17 are online while at least two million children experienced online sexual abuse or exploitation in 2021 alone, according to a Rainbows in the Dark study, citing international data from End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism.