Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Sunday, June 29, 2025.
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READ: ‘We never asked to go to Australia’ – VP Sara
VICE President Sara Duterte said the defense team of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, never reached out to Australia to host his interim release following reports that the Australian government has turned him down. Earlier press reports said the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) declined to host the elder Duterte if the International Criminal Court (ICC) granted his request for interim release to a third country. The former president is jailed at The Hague in the Netherlands, awaiting trial for crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody war on drugs. Duterte said that she got hold of a copy of the email from a media liaison of the DFAT saying that while the Australian government is aware that the former president has applied for an interim release to a third country, and that Australia has not agreed to host him or even consider such a move. She said her father’s defense team never reached out to the Australian government to discuss the interim release, and that it was wrong to assume that they applied to every country that was being considered for the interim release.
READ: Bangsamoro polls set for Oct 23
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed that the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections will proceed as scheduled on Oct. 23, even as questions remain unresolved over the redistribution of seven parliamentary seats originally allotted to the province of Sulu. Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the commission is legally bound to push through with the elections under the mandates of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, both of which require specific features on the ballots that entail technical recalibration of the automated election system.
READ: Word war between VP, Palace heats up
THE word war between Vice President Sara Duterte and Palace spokesman Clarissa Castro shows no sign of letting up. On Friday, Duterte said she was just stating a fact when she described the Marcos administration as “stupid” — a remark that drew Castro’s ire. In her briefing Thursday, Castro said Duterte’s calling the administration as “stupid” is an example of how she answers questions to the media. During a press briefing after the oath-taking of local officials in Davao City on Friday, Duterte said she was not angry but just stating a fact.
READ: Eala 1st Filipina to compete in Wimbledon
ALEX Eala will make her Wimbledon debut on Monday, becoming the first Filipina to compete in the grass major in London, where she battles no less than the reigning champ Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. Tennis greats Felicisimo Ampon and Raymundo Deyro became the first netters from the Philippines to compete in Wimbledon, showcasing their wares in the men’s division. Like in Roland Garros, world No. 74 Eala gained direct passage to Wimbledon for being in the top 104 players in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. Eala made history on Friday as the first Filipino player to reach a final of the WTA tournament after outlasting French Varvara Gracheva, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, in the Eastbourne Open semifinal.
SPORTS: Eala climbs to 56th in WTA live rankings
Eala is set for a new career-high at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. Following her 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 semifinal win over French Varvara Gracheva at the Eastbourne Open on Friday, Eala elevated to 56th in the live rankings. Officially ranked 74th, Eala will achieve her new career high on Monday when the latest rankings will be released.
BUSINESS: Govt ready to deal with economic crises
THE Philippine government is prepared to roll out targeted subsidies and other forms of assistance to mitigate the potential inflationary impact of rising global tensions, particularly in the Middle East. In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview on Friday, Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon assured that the government has laid out contingency measures in anticipation of potential spikes in oil prices. Edillon assured the public that the government has readied a range of support mechanisms, from fuel subsidies for affected sectors to inflation-mitigating measures for basic goods.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Marlen Ronquillo is today’s font page columnist, saying that nations can “eat” impeachment.
Today’s editorial looks at the latest oil price hikes, as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. Read more in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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