TOP STORIES – Friday, 13 June 2025

TODAY’S TOP STORIES (from online monitoring)

As of 13 June 2025, Friday, 5:00 p.m.

1. Marcos extends sympathies after Air India plane crash; No reported affected Filipinos so far

[ABS-CBN News, Daily Tribune, GMA News, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Manila Times, News5PH, NewsWatchPlus, Philstar]

https://tribune.net.ph/2025/06/12/marcos-expresses-sympathy-over-air-india-flight-crash

2. DUTERTE ICC CASE:

-Duterte asks ICC for interim release to undisclosed country

-Palace on Duterte’s plea for temporary release: We’ll follow ICC’s ruling

-Palace: Marcos not privy to 'deal' between Sara, Imee on bringing home Duterte

-Palace’s Castro: Did Duterte lawyers admit to crimes in request for interim release?

-Drug war victim lawyers, group oppose Duterte release bid

[ABS-CBN News, Daily Tribune, GMA News, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Manila Times, Manila Standard, News5PH, NewsWatchPlus, Philstar, Rappler]

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/06/13/2450276/duterte-requests-icc-temporary-release

3. VP DUTERTE IMPEACHMENT CASE:

-Sara Duterte says lawyers preparing reply to Senate impeachment court summons

-Chua calls for neutrality after some senator-judges join Sara in Malaysia

-Sotto critiques impeach court remand ruling, stresses need for proper procedure

[ABS-CBN News, Daily Tribune, GMA News, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard, Manila Times, News5PH, NewsWatchPlus, Philstar]

https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/13/sara-duterte-says-lawyers-preparing-reply-to-senate-impeachment-court-summons-0912

4. Palace brushes off Sara Duterte’s poll fraud claim

[ABS-CBN News, Inquirer, News5PH, NewsWatchPlus]

https://www.inquirer.net/446824/palace-brushes-off-sara-dutertes-poll-fraud-claim/

5. Palace says Marcos not against wage hike

[GMA News, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, News5PH, NewsWatchPlus]

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/949275/palace-says-marcos-not-against-wage-hike/story/

6. Israel strikes Iran nuclear facilities, missile factories; Filipinos told to avoid travel to Iraq amid security issues

[ABS-CBN News, Associated Press, BusinessMirror, CNN, GMA News, Inquirer, Manila Standard, Manila Times, News5PH, Philstar, Rappler, Reuters]

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/06/13/2450286/filipinos-told-avoid-travel-iraq-amid-israel-offensive-iran

7. DA, DOLE launch P20/kg rice for minimum wage earners

[ABS-CBN News, GMA News, News5PH, Sunstar]

https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/6/13/agri-dept-dole-launch-p20-kilo-rice-for-minimum-wage-earners-1112

8. Water rates to adjust starting July 1, 2025

[GMA News, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Philstar]

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/949282/water-rates-to-adjust-starting-july-1-2025/story/

9. Gwen Garcia found guilty of indirect contempt for defying Ombudsman suspension

[ABS-CBN News, Daily Tribune, GMA News, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard, News5PH, NewsWatchPlus, Philstar] https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/641758/gwen-garcia-found-guilty-of-indirect-contempt-for-defying-ombudsman-suspension

10. Tropical Depression Auring weakens into LPA, exits PAR

[ABS-CBN News, Daily Tribune, GMA News, Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard, Manila Times, News5PH, NewsWatchPlus, Rappler]

https://www.rappler.com/philippines/weather/tropical-depression-auring-update-pagasa-forecast-june-13-2025-5am/

© Philippine Information Agency Monitoring Unit

Friday, 13 June 2025

New daily ferry service to directly link Mindanao, Luzon, bypassing San Juanico bridge 

By Susil D. Ragas

SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte (PIA) — A new daily ferry service offering a direct connection between Surigao City in Mindanao and Bulan, Sorsogon in Luzon is set to launch soon, providing a vital alternative for logistical companies and travelers facing ongoing load limitations on the San Juanico Bridge.

Seen Sam Shipping Inc., a Cebu-based company, will deploy two large capacity landing craft transport (LCT) vessels to offer daily roll-on, roll-off (RORO) services. This initiative aims to alleviate the logistical bottlenecks caused by the temporary restrictions on the San Juanico Bridge, which connects Samar and Leyte.

The new route will operate between the Lipata Ferry Terminal in Surigao City and Bulan, Sorsogon. The Port Management Office (PMO) of Surigao has already issued the necessary certificate of berth allocation for the said shipping company’s vessels, a primary requirement from the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA). Given the urgent need for this direct service to ease current logistical challenges, MARINA is expected to grant the necessary clearance promptly.

According to the company’s initial schedule, LCT 1018 will depart Bulan for Lipata at 5:00 AM for its first trip, while LCT 1070 will simultaneously depart Lipata for Bulan at the same time. For businesses and freight operators, the new route offers greater flexibility and reliability in inter-island logistics operations.

With an estimated sailing time of 21 hours, this direct ferry service is anticipated to be a “game-changer,” offering a more efficient and direct route for goods and passengers traveling between Mindanao and Luzon, bypassing the need to traverse the San Juanico Bridge.

The new service comes as a direct response to ongoing challenges with the San Juanico Bridge, which connects Samar and Leyte provinces. Load limitations imposed on the bridge have created challenges for cargo transport between the country’s major island groups, prompting logistic companies to seek alternative routes.

The direct Surigao-Sorsogon connection is expected to streamline cargo movement and reduce delays that have impacted supply chains across the archipelago. (SDR, PIA Surigao del Norte with a report from PPA-PMO Surigao)

Friday, 13 June 2025

Tandag City promotes disaster preparedness at Brigada Eskwela

By Nida Grace P. Barcena

TANDAG CITY, Surigao del Sur (PIA) - In a continued effort to embed disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) in schools, the Tandag City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) participated in the recent kick-off of the Brigada Eskwela and Oplan Balik Eskwela held at Buenavista National High School, Barangay Buenavista.

CDRRMO Chief Reyveen John Geli said, “The office distributed disaster preparedness advocacy materials to students, teachers, and school officials. The materials, which include information on proper response during calamities, aim to strengthen awareness and promote a culture of safety among learners as the academic year begins.”

Equipping our youth with the knowledge to respond to disasters empowers them to become active agents of resilience,” he added, emphasizing the importance of early education in nurturing disaster-ready communities.

The school’s principal, John Michael Tuyor, together with Schools Division Superintendent Gregoria Su, welcomed the initiative and expressed gratitude for the support of the Tandag CDRRMO, signifying a strong partnership between the education sector and local disaster risk management authorities in safeguarding the well-being of learners and school personnel.

As a sustainable initiative, it can be recalled that in March 25, the CDRRMO also highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness through their participation in the Fire Square Road Show held at Telaje Elementary School, demonstrating vital life-saving techniques, including cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and shared their expertise in Basic First Aid and Basic Life Support that equipped the learners, faculty, and guests with essential emergency response skills, further reinforcing the city’s commitment to grassroots resiliency.

By reaching out at the grassroots level, the Tandag CDRRMO ensured that schools are not only places for learning, but also safe zones during emergencies, both natural and human-induced. (NGPB, PIA Surigao del Sur) 

Friday, 13 June 2025

DOH highlights leptospirosis concern in Caraga

By Niña Jonalyn Gambe-Diamante

BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Caraga shared the regional health updates—one of which is leptospirosis to the members of the Caraga Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (RDRRMC) during the recent 2nd quarter meeting of the RDRRMC Technical Working Group (TWG).

Doctor Amethyst Kathleen Alicante, section head of the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) and Health Emergency Management Staff (HEMS) of DOH-CHD Caraga, discussed leptospirosis which poses a serious health risk in the region.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by the Leptospira bacteria. It spreads through contact with water or soil contaminated with the urine of infected animals, such as rodents, livestock, and pets. In the case of Caraga, leptospirosis is more commonly caused by infected household rodents.

In her presentation, Alicante outlined the origins of leptospirosis, its transmission, prevention strategies, and available treatment options.

She said, “With reference to the recent data of DOH-CHD Caraga covering from January 1 to May 31 of the current year, they have recorded 223 cases of leptospirosis in the entire region.”

“The province of Surigao del Sur recorded the highest number of leptospirosis cases with 76 or 34 percent of the total cases in the region. This was followed by Agusan del Sur with 45 cases and Surigao del Norte with 38,” Alicante added. “A year-to-year comparison of last year and this year’s data illustrated even more alarming numbers as the volume of leptospirosis infections in the three provinces ballooned this year with a 407 percent increase in Surigao del Sur, 125 percent in Agusan del Sur, and 680 percent increment in the province of Surigao del Norte.”

According to DOH-CHD’s assessment, these three provinces have been known to be flood-prone areas, which aligns with their findings wherein 43 percent of the cases were due to the patients’ exposure to contaminated flood water.

“Residents situated in low-lying areas should be vigilant in times of flooding. This will not only cause possible damage to their properties, but the diseases they can get could also be very harmful—such as leptospirosis,” explained Alicante.

Despite the statistics, leptospirosis has not been widely known to be a pressing health issue in the region unlike that of monkeypox. Hearing Alicante’s thorough discussion about the disease, the Caraga RDRRMC has recognized the severity of such concern and has committed to initiate a region-wide information drive to educate the public on the risks of leptospirosis and the counter-measures to avoid being infected.

“We would like to call on our partners in information dissemination headed by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga to sit down with DOH-CHD and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga, being the RDRRMC chair, to include the leptospirosis crisis in the crafting of our Caraga RDRRMC strategic communication plan,” recommended Diana A. Lim, operations chief of OCD Caraga.

Other member-agencies present during the meeting likewise committed to impart the public health updates to their respective agencies and clientele to help mitigate the spread of leptospirosis. (NJGD, PIA Caraga)

Friday, 13 June 2025

Adoption starts with legal move, says child care office

By Nora L. Molde

BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — In observance of the 2025 Adoption and Alternative Child Care Week (AACCW), the government is reminding the public that adoption starts with a legal move – a call to action that highlights the need to follow proper process to protect children and families.

Attorney Marinelle Aycee Peral, legal officer of the Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO) Caraga, emphasized this message during the Kapihan sa PIA on June 9 at SM City Butuan, urging prospective adoptive parents and foster families to work with RACCO and avoid independent or unregulated child placements.

“We strongly discourage independent placement,” said Peral. “If you want to foster or adopt a child, start the process the right way through legal means. Legal adoption starts with a legal move.”

She underscored that Republic Act No. 11642, or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act, has simplified the process by shifting all adoptions to an administrative route. This reform makes adoption faster, less expensive, and more accessible, while upholding the best interests of the child.

“This law makes adoption more achievable for many families, but it still requires responsibility. We match children carefully with capable and loving families through legal and professional means,” she added.

Peral explained that RACCO collaborates closely with licensed social workers to review and process applications. She also clarified that relative adoption often has fewer requirements, as long as the relative is proven financially and emotionally capable.

The Kapihan sa PIA also addressed the growing concern over online baby selling. 

“Since 2023, over 40 cases have been uncovered nationwide, though no confirmed incidents have been recorded in Caraga. In most cases, it is difficult to trace the baby’s origin or the exact location of the transaction,” Peral noted.

With this challenge, the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) continues to monitor potential cases, and RACCO urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities.

“Our top priority is the safety and dignity of the child,” said Peral. “We are also asking media practitioners to help report adoption-related issues with sensitivity and without compromising the child’s identity.”

She concluded by thanking  the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga for its continued support in raising public awareness. “With your help, we can build a society where every child grows in a loving, legal, and secure home.”

The government’s message is clear: Adoption begins with a legal move through proper channels, guided by the law, and rooted on the best interest of the child. (NCLM, PIA Agusan del Norte)