Context Dispatch

The House prosecution has dropped Vice President Sara Duterte's chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, and security official Belinda Bello as witnesses in the impeachment trial. Prosecutor Lorna Kapunan said Tuesday their testimony under Article IV had become unnecessary, redundant or merely corroborative following evidence presented by two National Bureau of Investigation officials. Lopez was expected to authenticate a video of Duterte's Nov. 23, 2024 online press conference, but Kapunan said the defense had already acknowledged the event and used the same recording. Bello's testimony would have merely corroborated a detention-facility transfer order involving Lopez, Kapunan said. Senator-judges welcomed the move that helps in shortening the trial period.

American marine biologist Kent Edward Carpenter was shot dead during a robbery at his home in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, police said. Three masked men allegedly broke into the 73-year-old's residence late Sunday, with one suspect fatally shooting Carpenter while the others assaulted his Filipina companion and stole valuables. No arrests have been made. Authorities have formed a special investigation task group and are pursuing robbery, professional and personal motives. Carpenter was a renowned marine biologist and an expert witness in the Philippines' South China Sea arbitration case. This is the 10th anniversary of the WPS ruling. (Marjohara Tucay)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s public satisfaction rating improved in June but remained in negative territory, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey. The poll found 38 percent of adult Filipinos satisfied with the President's performance, 45 percent dissatisfied, and 17 percent undecided, yielding a net satisfaction rating of negative 7, classified by SWS as "neutral." The result marked an eight-point improvement from the record-low negative 15 posted in March, driven by gains across all major geographic areas and among most demographic groups, although Metro Manila and Mindanao continued to post negative net satisfaction ratings.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed Philippine Orthopedic Center chief Dr. Jose Brittanio Pujalte Jr. as health secretary following the resignation of Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa, who stepped down for health reasons, Malacañang announced Monday. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Herbosa recently underwent a medical procedure and is expected to spend three to four months in rehabilitation. Herbosa had served as Department of Health chief since June 2023. Pujalte, an orthopedic surgeon and veteran public health administrator, has led the Philippine Orthopedic Center since 2014 and has more than three decades of government service. (Marjohara Tucay)

Japan has called on China to respect international law, marking exactly ten years since a landmark legal ruling rejected Beijing’s vast maritime claims in the South China Sea.