Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer — your Trusted Building Partner.

READ: Duterte’s party seeks vote recount

The Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban), the party led by former president Rodrigo Duterte, on Monday filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking an immediate manual recount of senatorial votes in the recently concluded 2025 midterm senatorial elections. The PDP-Laban, led by National Vice Chairman Alfonso Cusi, cited in its motion what it described as “blatant and disturbing irregularities” that undermined the integrity of the automated voting process. Reacting to the filing, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the poll body welcomes efforts to test the integrity of the election system.

Get the latest news


delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters

By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

READ: VP: Impeachment complaint ‘a scrap of paper’

Vice President Sara Duterte has asked the Senate impeachment court to dismiss the complaint against her, describing it as a mere “scrap of paper.” Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr., who serves as the clerk of court, on Monday evening received the documents from Duterte’s camp containing her reply to the summons issued by the court asking her to comment on the case against her. Duterte’s counsel filed the pleadings “ad cautelam” or with caution. Duterte said the fourth impeachment complaint must be dismissed because it is void ab initio for violating the one-year ban rule under the 1987 Constitution, which “explicitly prohibits the initiation of more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a period of one year.”

READ: Sara slams Marcos’ ‘performance’

VICE President Sara Duterte said on Sunday that she had no ill feelings toward President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. but said she had “problems with his performance as president.” In an interview in Melbourne, the vice president said that she has no ill feelings with him with regard to the political persecution” that she is receiving from the administration “because that is part of the life of a politician,” but she added that she had problems with his alleged violations of the Constitution, “particularly with the rendition of former president [Rodrigo] Duterte.” What happened to her father, she said, “was really an affront to Philippine sovereignty.” She said in the same interview that Marcos “has not followed through with any of his campaign promises.”

READ: Witness in ‘sabungero’ case processed for WPP

JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday confirmed that a key witness in the case of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts or sabungeros is being processed for government protection. Remulla did not identify who would be put under the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP), but said they were “doing everything necessary to move this forward.” Remulla confirmed that a statement on the fate of more than 30 missing sabungeros who disappeared four years ago had already been given by a witness identified only as “Totoy.” He added that the Department of Justice had coordinated the protection arrangements with Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil before the May elections. The case involves the disappearance of several sabungeros, whose families have expressed frustration over what they perceive as government inaction.

READ: Gas prices shoot up as Mideast war rages

Oil companies raised fuel prices this week as the war between Israel and Iran pushed up the costs of importing oil, but said the hikes would be imposed on a staggered basis. Shell, Seaoil, PetroGazz, Caltex, Cleanfuel, Jetti Petroleum, Unioil, PTT Philippines, Flying V and Petron said gasoline prices would go up by P1.75 per liter, diesel by P2.60 per liter, and kerosene by P2.40 per liter on June 24. On June 26, Thursday, gasoline prices will again go up by another P1.75 per liter, diesel by another P2.60 per liter, and kerosene by another P2.40 per liter. Oil companies said they staggered the price increases as a result of a Department of Energy (DOE) request to cushion the impact of the big increase.

BUSINESS: War seen pushing inflation up

THE fallout from an escalation in the Israel-Iran war could push global transport costs higher and drive Philippine inflation higher, Maybank Research said in a new report. Maybank warned that heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly around key shipping lanes such as the Red Sea, could lead to disruptions in trade flows, drive up shipping and logistics costs, and add to global supply chain pressures. Maybank said that its “estimate is that a $10 per barrel increase in oil prices could lead to a 0.3 percent increase in inflation,” noting that the Philippines is vulnerable to such external shocks due to its heavy reliance on imports and global trade. While domestic inflation has fallen below the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) 2.0- to 4.0-percent target, allowing monetary authorities to continue lowering interest rates, Maybank warned that policy path could become complicated in the second half of the year.

SPORTS: Thunder destroy Pacers to pocket NBA crown

In Sports, The Oklahoma City Thunder crowned a dazzling season with an NBA title on Sunday (Monday in Manila), pulling away relentlessly in the second half to beat the Indiana Pacers, 103-91, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out a career playoff high 12 assists and the Thunder’s swarming defense finally proved to much for a Pacers team that lost talisman Tyrese Haliburton to a leg injury just seven minutes into the contest. The underdog Pacers hung tough and held a 48-47 lead at halftime, but the Thunder out-scored them 34-20 in the third quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Orlando Mercado are today’s front page columnists. Contreras’ blames the government for the failure of the K-12 program meanwhile Makabenta talks about a new paper that claims that the foundation of climate scare is scientifically false. Mercado’s piece says that wars are easier to start than to end.

Today’s editorial is titled K-12 and other frustrations.

For more news and information, read The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn; and be part of our communities on Viber, Telegram, and Mastodon.