Context Dispatch

Australia has pledged AU$3 million (P115.9 million) in humanitarian assistance to support the Philippines’ response to Typhoons Tino and Uwan.

Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who at 101 still served as chief legal adviser to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., passed away on Thursday, his daughter Katrina Ponce Enrile announced. “With profound love and gratitude, my father peacefully returned to his Creator on November 13, 2025, at 4:21 p.m., surrounded by our family at home,” she said, adding that it was her father’s wish to take his final breath in their residence. JPE, as he is known, was hospitalized earlier this week, battling pneumonia. The family requested privacy as they grieve, with details of public viewing to follow. Enrile served several presidents, including the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and Corazon Aquino—both as Defense Secretary. The Senate expressed sorrow and, following tradition, suspended deliberation on the government’s 2026 budget following the passing of its former leader, a figure both vilified for his role during the Martial Law years and revered for EDSA People’s Power Revolution.

Super Typhoon Uwan (Fung Wong), a monstrous storm spanning 1,600 kilometers, is moving swiftly at 30 kilometers an hour toward Central and Northern Luzon, threatening Metro Manila and parts of the Visayas still reeling from TC Tina. With maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h and gusts reaching 230 km/h, PAGASA has raised Signal No. 5 over Aurora, Catanduanes, and the Camarines provinces. Authorities warn of life-threatening storm surges and widespread flooding as Uwan makes landfall late Sunday before exiting by Monday night. Pre-emptive evacuations are underway, and disaster response teams remain on full alert for the super typhoon’s destructive onslaught. Uwan threatens an area with a population of over 61 million, with over 5 million living coastal areas.

The government is bracing as Tropical Cyclone Uwan (International name: Fund-Wong) barrels toward Central and Northern Luzon, rapidly intensifying and expected to hit super typhoon strength when it makes landfall on Saturday with sustained winds over 205 kilometers per hour, rivaling Typhoon Yolanda. Stretching 1,400 kilometers across, Uwan threatens Metro Manila, all of Luzon, and parts of the Visayas, with 200 to 400 millimeters of rain in just 24 hours. Some 61.6 million people live in its path, including 5.7 million in coastal zones. Authorities have placed disaster and relief teams on full alert, preparing evacuation centers, emergency supplies, and rapid-response units to mitigate flooding, power outages, and other risks from what could become one of the most severe storms in recent history.

PASAY CITY — Veteran litigator Atty. Ruy Rondain, former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co’s lawyer, told reporters Wednesday that unless the government presents clarified, admissible evidence, his client faces no criminal case.