Dev Flores

Facilities at the Philippine National Police General Hospital are ready for the potential confinement of former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if the Sandiganbayan allows his transfer to the facility of the PNP.

In the photos shared by the PNP, it shows decent facilities, including a standard hospital bed, an oxygen tank, air condition, and a clean restroom.

According to the PNP, no special preparations were made for the former Speaker; they just made sure that the setup aligns to standard security, medical, and custodial requirements.

“Dito po sa atin sa PNP General Hospital, wala po dito yung executive suite; yung mga special rooms are ordinary rooms,” PCol. Allen Rae Co said

The PNP also remains in coordination with Cardinal Santos Medical Center to regularly monitor the health condition of Rep. Romualdez.

PCol. Co also stated that the PNP is open to having independent government doctors evaluate the lawmaker to ensure transparency and prevent any doubts regarding his medical assessment.

“To erase any doubts, any suspicion of special treatment, better po the more the merrier po sa amin iyan. We very much welcome additional doctors to assess the situation or the health status of our former speaker,” he said

Meanwhile, PNP Chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. stated that PNPGH facilities and personnel are ready to provide proper medical care to Rep. Romualdez in accordance with the law.

With reports from Ryan Lacanlale

US President Donald Trump suggested renaming the state of New Mexico to ‘New America’.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump posted an AI-generated video and stated that many people allegedly support changing the state’s name, adding that New America would be a better replacement.

He also posted a map of the United States featuring the state labeled as New America.

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Democratic officials in New Mexico opposed the proposal and accused Trump of trying to distract public attention from war in Iran and rising fuel costs.

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Kamanggagawa Party-list Representative Eli San Fernando questioned the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Francis Tolentino over the delayed implementation of the wage hike for minimum wage earners in the National Capital Region.

The lawmaker argued that DOLE Wage Order No. 27, which grants a P85 wage hike, must be implemented. He maintained that DOLE possesses the legal basis to enforce the order and should not allow the pending court case to delay its implementation.

“Sa amin saka sa Kamanggagawa Party-list, we believe na dapat harangin yung kanyang appointment sa Commission on Appointments kung ganito ang inaasal ng Secretary ng Department of Labor and Employment. Hindi dapat siya tawagin na Secretary of Labor and Employment. Secretary of Labor and Employer siya,” he said

"So ang mandato ng DOLE malinaw —  proteksyunan, ipagtanggol, at iabante ang karapatan ng mga manggagawa. Nakita niyo kanina sa budget deliberation sa budget consideration ng DOLE, walang pagtindig si Secretary Tolentino,” he added

In response to the criticism, DOLE maintained its position that opposition to the hike is not the reason for the delay.  Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino pointed out that the court injunction remains in place.

Tolentino emphasized that while he believes that wage increases are a matter of right for workers, DOLE cannot declare decisions, but the court.

“Ang dapat magsabi po nito ay hindi ako, kung hindi ang Supreme Court o ang husgado,” he said

According to the labor department, if they insist on enforcing the wage order while the restraint is active, the agency may face contempt of court. The agency reiterated that they have to comply with the legal process, instead of violating the court.

They also assured that they will immediately enforce the wage hike once the court lifts the injunction.

With reports from Mia Alonzo

The Senate Impeachment Court will invite amici curiae, or friends of the court, to discuss  the voting threshold for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

The decision by Senate Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero came after Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo reopened the matter of the voting threshold.

According to Sen. Escudero, there is no trial on September 16 to give way for their meeting with the legal experts they plan to invite.

“Amici curiae, the plural form of the friends of the court. They are found in Rule 10 on the internal rules of the Supreme Court,” he said

“The court can invite amicus curiae or amici curiae to advise the court and guide the court,” he added

Sen. Escudero also stated that amici curiae could potentially assist the senator-judges when formulating their decision on the issue.

“Well, sana sa pamamagitan ng kanilang kaalaman at lawak ng kaalaman kaugnay sa batas, sa saligang batas, at gayundin, karanasan nila sa mga legal na bagay ay mabigyan tayo ng kanilang kaisipan kaugnay sa isyu nito,” he said

In line with this, the Presiding Officer stated that he has already consulted the prosecution and defense regarding who will serve as amici curiae.

However, their names cannot be announced yet as they have not been formally spoken to.

With reports from Jed Nerecina

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) sees allowing more government-issued IDs for SIM registration as a problem and a reason, as it contributes to why text scams persist.

During the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on DICT’s proposed budget for 2027, DICT Secretary Henry Aguda stated that the acceptable IDs used during registration.

“For a while, it worked. Ang naging problema lang sa sim registration, ang daming IDs na pwedeng gamitin. 17 po ata 'yun kung hindi ako nagkakamali. Kami naman po ngayon sa NTC kasama po si sila Commissioner Ella nag-iisip na baka dapat bawasan natin 'yung type of IDs. Baka dapat sa tatlo lang na national ID ang isa passport at saka license,” he said

The DICT chief explained that limiting the options will ensure higher accuracy and make falsifying identities harder.

“Kasi pag national ID na yan, medyo mahirap mo ng i-fake kasi. So 'yun po yung balak naming gawin. Limit it to an ID that has a higher chance na tama yung tao at saka tama yung information na nandon po,” he said

With reports from Asher Cadapan Jr.