Day: March 13, 2025

Manila: Nine senatorial candidates under the Marcos administration’s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas are statistically poised to win in the May 12 midterm elections, according to the results of a Pulse Asia survey released Thursday. The survey, conducted from February 20 to 26, indicates that 13 out of 64 candidates have a “statistical chance” of securing a Senate seat if the elections were held during the survey period. According to Philippines News Agency, most of the probable winners are either former or incumbent lawmakers affiliated with the administration’s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas. The survey results show that administration-backed candidate

The Hague: Former President Rodrigo Duterte will not face any proceedings in a local Dutch court, as confirmed by Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands, J. Eduardo Malaya. The ambassador stated that Duterte remains under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the ICC Detention Center in The Hague. According to Philippines News Agency, Malaya emphasized that all proceedings concerning Duterte will be conducted by the ICC. He clarified that there is no mandate under the Rome Statute requiring an arrested individual to appear before a Dutch local court. Duterte’s detention follows his arrest and surrender to the ICC,

Makati City: Immigration authorities arrested the Chinese national who made headlines for allegedly kicking to death a cat at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City for overstaying. According to Philippines News Agency, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the foreigner as Jiang Shan, 32, who was arrested by BI intelligence officers in front of his residence in Barangay Palanan on March 10. BI records reveal that the foreigner arrived as a tourist in the country in May 2023 but has not extended his visa since September 2023. Jiang was unable to present any documentation to the

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has dismissed the second disqualification case filed against senatorial candidate and ACT-CIS party-list Representative Erwin Tulfo. According to Philippines News Agency, the Comelec First Division released a three-page ruling on Thursday, rejecting the petition filed by the Graft-Free Philippines Foundation, Inc. and Berteni Causing. The dismissal was due to a technicality, specifically the petitioners’ failure to comply with the requirement to submit a Proof of Service of the petition to Tulfo. The poll body emphasized that failing to meet mandatory requirements warrants dismissal of the petition. The ruling stated, “Upon scrutiny of the submitted

Taipei: The 12th Smart City Summit and Expo (SCSE) is set to begin at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2, from March 18-21, focusing on the theme “Digital and Green Transformation.” As the largest smart city exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region, the event will highlight developments in artificial intelligence (AI) applications, smart governance, energy efficiency, virtual power plants, and net-zero sustainability. According to Philippines News Agency, the SCSE is organized by the National Development Council, Kaohsiung City Government, and Taipei Computer Association (TCA), with the Taipei City Government returning as a co-organizer. The expo will take place in two