Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

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READ: Senate coup talk centers on Sotto

EVEN before the 20th Congress convenes, there is talk of a major reorganization in the Senate with the entry of a new set of senators and the emergence of a five-person “Duterte bloc.” Reelected Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa said in the aftermath of the midterm elections, there are now at least five senators allied with former president Rodrigo Duterte — a group that includes himself, Sens. Robinhood Padilla and Bong Go, Imee Marcos and senator-elect Rodante Marcoleta. While he said they had “no problem” with Senate President Francis Escudero, he admitted that some senators have received text messages about a possible revamp in the Senate leadership.

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READ: Officials linked to smuggling face raps

MALACAÑANG on Tuesday said charges would be filed against government officials who were allegedly involved in the smuggling of rice that kept its prices high for years. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. blamed smuggling and unnamed government officials from the Duterte administration for the almost three-year delay of his promised 20-peso-per-kilo rice program.

READ: Palace: Peace offer for all, not just the Dutertes

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is extending the olive branch not just to the Dutertes but to “everyone,” Malacañang said on Tuesday. The chief executive said he already had many “enemies” and what he wanted to have more of are friends. Apart from his openness to reconcile with his erstwhile ally, Marcos likewise acknowledged the public’s disappointment with his administration, particularly how government services are cascaded to citizens. The president vowed improvements would happen “from now on” as he called for all politicking to stop for the sake of the country. Marcos and Duterte ran under the UniTeam banner in the 2022 national elections and won overwhelming victories. However, as days passed, their alliance had more misses than hits.

READ: Amid rumors, Lacson denies meeting VP Sara

SENATOR-ELECT Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday denied meeting with Vice President Sara Duterte, saying it was a malicious rumor spread ahead of her impending impeachment trial where he would act as a senator-judge. The Senate is expected to convene as an impeachment court once Congress resumes session on June 2. Preparations for the trial have already been conducted, including the delivery of the robes that the senator-judges would wear. Lacson on Tuesday said he received reports that he and another senator-elect in the May 12 midterm elections met with Duterte.

READ: Duterte Youth files petition at Supreme Court

THE Duterte Youth party-list group has filed a petition at the Supreme Court alleging that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) committed grave abuse of discretion when it failed to proclaim their poll victory. The group received the second highest number of votes in the party-list race behind Akbayan, with more than 2.3 million votes. The Comelec, however, suspended its proclamation over a disqualification case filed against it in 2019 by Kabataan Party-list, claiming misrepresentation, a charge party chairman Ronald Cardema denied.

BUSINESS: Gov’t eyeing expansion of P20/kilo rice program

Topping business, the government is studying the feasibility of expanding the 20 pesos per kilogram (kg) rice program to include people outside vulnerable sectors, particularly low- and lower middle-income families, a Department of Agriculture (DA) official said on Tuesday. Currently, the Benteng Bigas Meron Na! (BBM Na!) program can only be availed of by senior citizens, persons with disabilities, single parents and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, or 4Ps, which provides cash assistance to the country’s poorest households. Arnel de Mesa, assistant secretary and also spokesman of the DA, said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had ordered the expanded implementation of the BBM Na! initiative, which resumed last week after being temporarily halted by the midterm elections.

SPORTS: Don’t worry about it – Pacquiao

ANALYSTS and fans expressed concern and dislike when Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao went out of retirement to challenge World Boxing Council welterweight American champ Mario Barrios in Las Vegas on July 19. Pacquiao is already 46, has not fought a legitimate bout in four years, and is fighting a 30-year-old, 16 years younger Barrios at the peak of his prime, after all. But Pacquiao is not worried about his age, and the age gap he has against the much younger Barrios, who was born in 1995, the same year Pacquiao turned professional.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, and Francisco Tatad are today’s front page columnists. Tiglao thinks the President was shocked and stunned by recent events, Fr. Aquino talks about his mother, while Tatad gives his analysis on the recent midterm elections.

Today’s editorial asks if the country’s infrastructure is in crisis. Read more in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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