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(Philstar.com) Manila, Philippines — The Commission on Elections says it is operationally and financially ready to comply with whatever the Supreme Court decides on a legal challenge filed over the weekend against the law postponing this year’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. President Marcos had signed Republic Act 12326 pushing the BSKE from November 2, 2026 to November 2028 and extending sitting barangay and SK officials’ terms from four to five years, prompting Comelec to halt preparations already underway, including the filing of certificates of candidacy.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the commission would need additional lead time to resume election preparations should the high court order the original November 2 date to proceed, noting roughly ₱8 billion has already been spent on ballots, equipment, and personnel for the polls. Petitioner and election lawyer Romulo Macalintal is asking the Court to strike down the law as unconstitutional, arguing it improperly delays elections already postponed multiple times in recent years. Malacañang has said it will abide by whatever the Supreme Court ultimately decides. Read More

Manila, Philippines — Face-to-face classes were suspended Tuesday in several parts of Luzon after transport groups Manibela and PISTON launched separate jeepney strikes running from September 28 to 30, prompting universities and local governments to shift to online or alternative learning setups.

Albay canceled in-person classes at all levels, both public and private, through September 30, while schools including Adamson University, Far Eastern University’s Manila and Makati campuses, the University of the East, and the University of Santo Tomas announced similar suspensions or shifts to remote learning across the affected days. The strikes, organized by transport sector groups, have disrupted commuter routes in various areas, with schools and offices continuing to monitor the situation and issue updates as the walkout continues into Wednesday. Read More

Nagoya, Japan — Pole vaulter EJ Obiena delivered the Philippines’ third gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday, defending his title from 2023 with a Games-record clearance of 5.91 meters at a rain-soaked Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. The 30-year-old had already secured gold by clearing 5.75 meters, the only mark reached by anyone in the 12-man field, before pushing further to break his own previous record of 5.90 meters set in Hangzhou three years ago.

Obiena becomes the first Filipino to successfully defend an individual Asian Games track and field title since sprinter Lydia de Vega-Mercado won back-to-back 100-meter golds in 1982 and 1986. He called the win “very satisfying,” noting it capped what he described as his 10th victory of the season, despite slipping and injuring his arm on the wet track earlier in the day. His gold follows two golds from gymnast Carlos Yulo earlier in the Games, giving Team Philippines three golds so far in Nagoya. Read More

Pasay City, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte took the witness stand Tuesday on Day 31 of his sister Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, where he was declared a hostile witness after prosecutors established his adverse interest, allowing them to ask leading questions.

Duterte testified he only learned of GenCorp Industries Inc.’s existence when the company came up during his sister’s trial, as prosecutors pressed him on Article II of the impeachment articles, which alleges the Vice President has unexplained wealth and undisclosed business interests.

Presiding Officer Francis Escudero also denied a prosecution request to have the Vice President admit to over 100 separate factual matters, while separately ruling that Wednesday’s scheduled hearing would be canceled, with proceedings to resume Thursday. Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who attended Tuesday’s session, said he hopes to be called as a witness following Duterte’s testimony. Protesters also gathered outside the Senate in Pasay City as the trial continued. Read More

Tacloban City, Philippines — Justice Department prosecutors have filed 10 additional murder-related charges against the 15-year-old student accused in the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School, which killed three students and injured about 20 others. Prosecutors determined the teen, now identified only as a child in conflict with the law due to confidentiality rules, acted with discernment and in apparent conspiracy with a 14-year-old classmate when he opened fire on campus using a .38-caliber revolver. The new charges — four counts of frustrated murder and six counts of attempted murder — add to earlier murder complaints and will be filed before the Regional Trial Court in Tacloban City, with prosecutors recommending bail of ₱72,000 per frustrated-murder count and ₱36,000 per attempted-murder count. The 14-year-old, legally exempt from criminal liability due to his age, remains under a Department of Social Welfare and Development intervention program instead. Both minors are currently under the custody of a rehabilitation facility. The case has renewed national conversation around youth violence, with authorities also pursuing separate charges against an adult relative whose firearm was used in the attack. Read More

Manila, Philippines — Two petitions have been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the Senate impeachment court’s decision to lower the voting threshold needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte, with petitioners urging the High Court to intervene immediately rather than wait for the trial to conclude. The dispute began when senator-judges voted 13-1 on September 23 to overturn Presiding Officer Chiz Escudero’s earlier July 6 ruling, which had fixed the conviction threshold at 16 votes, or two-thirds of the Senate’s full 24 members. Under the new rule, only senators who remain “legally and factually capable of participating” in the trial will count toward the two-thirds requirement, effectively lowering the number of votes needed to convict given that several senators have been largely absent from proceedings. Former Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, a Duterte ally, argues the change unconstitutionally rewrites the Senate’s composition requirement and has asked the Supreme Court to issue a restraining order and reinstate the original 16-vote threshold. Escudero has said the ruling applies only to this trial and won’t bind future impeachment proceedings, calling it a response to “extraordinary” and “unprecedented” circumstances. The defense team has said pursuing its own Supreme Court challenge remains a real possibility as the trial continues. Read More

Manila, Philippines — Mynt Inc., the operator of GCash, began taking investor orders this week for what’s set to become the largest initial public offering in Philippine history. The company and its shareholders are offering as many as 8 billion shares at a maximum price of ₱10 each, with pricing expected to land below that ceiling around ₱6.50 following strong interest from major global institutions including BlackRock, Capital Group, and Schroders. The deal is expected to price on October 1, with a retail offer period running October 6 to 12 ahead of a projected listing date of October 20. At full scale, the offering could raise up to ₱92.3 billion (roughly $1.47 billion), potentially reviving investor interest in a Philippine stock market that has struggled with thin trading volumes and a wave of delistings. GCash, which began in 2004 as Globe Telecom’s text-based money transfer service, now counts more than 90 million registered users — about three-quarters of the country’s population — and has expanded into savings, credit, insurance, and investment services beyond payments. Read More

Manila, Philippines — Tropical Storm Queenie maintained its strength as it moved northwestward over the Philippine Sea Friday morning, with PAGASA reporting maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 90 kph. The state weather bureau said Queenie, internationally named Surigae, could intensify into a severe tropical storm within hours and reach typhoon category by Sunday as it approaches the boundary of the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Despite its proximity, PAGASA said the storm is not expected to make landfall or directly affect the country, though its trough could still trigger scattered rain and thunderstorms across Mindanao, the Negros Island Region, and parts of the Visayas and Bicol. No tropical cyclone wind signals have been raised so far. Queenie is forecast to exit the PAR sometime between Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning before curving toward the southern islands of Japan. Read More