Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Thursday, July 3, 2025.

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READ: Trial timing depends on House, court says

THE timetable for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte depends on how soon the House of Representatives can comply with the summons issued by the Senate, sitting as the impeachment court. The spokesman for the court, Reginald Tongol, said the impeachment court would reconvene on July 29, one day after the 20th Congress gathers to hear President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address. He said the court would only release a new calendar for the trial after the House has complied with its requirements. Although the House had sent the articles of impeachment against Duterte to the Senate on Feb. 5, Senate President Francis Escudero only convened the impeachment court on June 11, a day before the 19th Congress adjourned sine die. On that day, Escudero swore in his colleagues as senator-judges, who then voted 18-5 to send the articles of impeachment back to the House with a demand that they certify that they did not violate the constitutional provision that bars the filing of more than one complaint in a year. The senators also required the House to certify that it would still pursue the trial in the 20th Congress, which officially started on July 1. The House has already complied with the first summons, but has yet to comply with the second.

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READ: P20 rice sold in Bacoor public market

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the rollout of the Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na! initiative to make rice affordable to the poor at the Zapote Public Market in Bacoor, Cavite. The program, which sells rice at 20 pesos per kilo to indigents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents and low-income households, is carried out by the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority (NFA). The lower-priced rice is available in designated Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets across Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Mimaropa. The DA’s Food Terminal Inc. buys rice from the NFA and sells it through the Kadiwa ng Pangulo network and other participants in the program. The initiative is in line with the President’s commitment to stabilize rice prices, empower farmers and ensure that no Filipino is left behind, Malacañang said.

READ: Thorough probe of missing sabungeros pressed

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants a thorough probe of the missing cockfight enthusiasts or sabungeros, Malacañang said on Wednesday. This after a certain “Alyas Totoy” implicated businessman and gaming industry tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang, several police officers and a showbiz personality in the case of over 100 missing cockfight aficionados dating back to 2021. Earlier reports said the victims disappeared from April 2021 to January 2022 in their homes and various arenas in Laguna, Batangas, Manila and Bulacan. “Alyas Totoy” claimed their remains were dumped in Taal Lake in Batangas.

READ: Makabayan bloc files anti-political dynasty bill

THE Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives has filed a measure that seeks to ban political dynasties. The proposed Anti-Political Dynasty Act aims to prevent family members from holding or running for national and local positions simultaneously. ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co filed House Bill (HB) 209 on Monday. According to the bill’s explanatory note, HB 209 will “give real teeth to the Constitutional mandate and strengthen the call for new politics to lay the basis of greater empowerment for the greater number of Filipinos.”

BUSINESS: Investment approvals surge nearly 60% in H1

Headlining business, investment approvals ballooned by 59.1 percent in the first half of 2025, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said on Wednesday, hitting 72.362 billion pesos from 45.481 billion pesos a year earlier. The PEZA said that its board had approved 133 projects that were expected to generate 32,983 direct jobs, higher than the 120 projects and 25,259 jobs recorded in January-June 2024. Eight of these projects will bring in more than P50 billion if realized, the investment promotion agency said. 

SPORTS: Eala impresses Krejcikova in Wimbledon debut

Over to sports, Filipino tennis hotshot Alex Eala made a quick exit in her Wimbledon debut, falling to reigning champ Barbora Krejcikova of Czech Republic, 6-3, 2-6, 1-6, in London on Tuesday night (Manila time). Like Eala’s previous champion foes, Krejcikova found herself impressed with the first Filipina to have played in the grass major.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras and Danton Remoto are today’s front page columnists. Contreras said Vice President Sara Duterte should have just kept quiet over certain controversies, while Remoto introduces a selection of new novels he wrote.

Today’s editorial believes that sustainability and net-zero goal claims need better monitoring. Read more in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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