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The Senate broke a two-day leadership deadlock on Wednesday after former Senate President Francis Escudero joined the chamber’s session, paving the way for the election of Sherwin Gatchalian as the new Senate president and the reorganization of key committees. The leadership change is expected to face legal and procedural challenges from allies of former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who dispute the validity of the proceedings. Among the chamber’s first actions under the new leadership was the designation of a presiding officer for impeachment trials, except in cases involving the President, signaling efforts to restore the Senate’s legislative and constitutional functions after days of paralysis.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said Wednesday that one of its directors has been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in an entrapment operation over the alleged extortion of a private corporation.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has found that the Philippines' failure to prohibit and effectively block imports of goods produced with forced labor may unfairly burden US commerce, exposing Philippine exports to potential new tariffs under a Section 301 investigation.

Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), the fully automated facility run by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) at Australia’s Port of Melbourne, has deployed four new Kalmar hybrid automatic container carriers as part of its expansion plan.

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the BARMM’s Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE) have signed two key agreements: a Transition Agreement (TA) on power and electrification, and a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on energy efficiency.