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Sandiganbayan suspends Marcoleta as senator
MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan Third Division on Monday suspended Sen. Rodante Marcoleta for 90 days due to his plunder case.
Marcoleta was charged with plunder for allegedly accepting a P75-million donation while serving as a party-list lawmaker.
“Senator Rodante D. Marcoleta is suspended from his position as Senator of the Republic of the Philippines and from any other public office which he may now or hereafter be holding for a period of 90 days from receipt of this resolution,” the anti-graft court division said in a statement.
Marcoleta’s suspension shall automatically be lifted upon the expiration of the 90-day period from the implementation of the court resolution.
Republic Act No. 7080, or the Anti-Plunder Act, provides for the preventive suspension of any official facing a plunder case.
According to the court, the information sufficiently alleged that Marcoleta “amassed ill-gotten wealth by receiving personal gifts or donations” from his donors and co-accused, former Rep. Mike Defensor and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray.
Defensor, Espiritu and Viray purportedly donated P30 million, P25 million and P20 million, respectively, to Marcoleta.
The third division is also handling one of three cases involving a violation of Presidential Decree No. 46, involving Marcoleta and Viray.
Upon determining that the information in the plunder case was valid, the Third Division said the issuance of a preventive suspension became a ministerial duty.
“The court has neither the discretion nor duty to determine whether or not a preventive suspension is required,” it said. “There are no ifs and buts about it.”
“The allegations regarding the factual records and violation of Sen. Marcoleta’s freedom of expression and political participation and equal protection of the laws are matters to be threshed out and established during the trial of the cases,” it added. “At this stage, the court needs only to determine whether the facts alleged in the Informations, if hypothetically admitted as true, would constitute the elements of the offenses charged therein.”
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Defense reporters to China embassy: Words have consequences
MANILA, Philippines — After a week of testy exchanges between Philippine officials and the Chinese Embassy in Manila, journalists covering the country’s defense beat are pushing back against being dragged into the blame game.
The Defense Press Corps of the Philippines on Sunday, October 18, rejected the Chinese Embassy in Manila's claim that Filipino reporters "exaggerate" and "take things out of context."
The group emphasized that its members quoted Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan verbatim when he said China could "easily win if it used force" against the Philippines, and that the political fallout from his words “is neither within the control nor the responsibility of journalists.”
“Some Philippine politicians and reporters have very limited comprehension about facts,” the embassy said in a Facebook post on Saturday, October 17. “But they are good at exaggeration, taking things out of context, and creating hype.”
The post did not name any journalist or news organization, or point to a specific report.
It came two days after Jing told reporters on the sidelines of a forum at Diliman College in Quezon City: “If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not use force. You know, we love peace.”
The DPC, whose members cover the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the embassy’s target and intent was clear.
“While the embassy’s statement did not specifically name the DPC, we, along with journalists covering the West Philippine Sea and relations between the two countries, can clearly discern its disparaging intent,” the group said.
The post did not name any journalist or news organization, or point to a specific report.
It came two days after Jing told reporters on the sidelines of a forum at Diliman College in Quezon City: “If we want to use force, we may easily win. But no, we will not use force. You know, we love peace.”
The DPC, whose members cover the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the embassy’s target and intent was clear.
“While the embassy’s statement did not specifically name the DPC, we, along with journalists covering the West Philippine Sea and relations between the two countries, can clearly discern its disparaging intent,” the group said.
On Wednesday, October 14, Teodoro rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s description of the Philippines as Southeast Asia’s “troublemaker,” saying, “China alone is the troublemaker here.”
The embassy responded by branding Teodoro the “real troublemaker” and accusing him of smearing China.
Jing’s remark came the next day, when reporters asked him about Teodoro’s statement, which he called “nonsense.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the ambassador “had a poor choice of words that would seem to convey a thinly veiled threat of the use of force.” In turn, the embassy accused the department of “selective quotation and overinterpretation.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday, October 16, that Jing’s statement “sounds very much to me like a threat” and that he would summon the envoy.
‘Champi’ may re-intensify into super typhoon, to enter PAR Tuesday
MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Champi has weakened as it moved west-northwestward over the sea west of Guam, but may re-intensify into a super typhoon, PAGASA said Sunday night.
In its 11 p.m. bulletin on Sunday, October 18, the state weather bureau said Champi was carrying maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour near the center, with gusts of up to 215 kph.
It is moving west-northwestward at 15 kph.
The center of Champi was estimated at 1,830 kilometers east of Southeastern Luzon, outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
Champi is expected to enter the PAR by Tuesday morning or early afternoon. Once inside the country's monitoring area, it will be given the domestic name Rosal.
Strong winds, rainfall
PAGASA said tropical cyclone wind signals may be raised over the northern and eastern portions of Northern Luzon and parts of the Bicol Region as early as Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
The highest wind signal in the current forecast scenario is Signal No. 3 or 4.
Gusty conditions may affect most parts of Luzon and the Visayas, as well as portions of Mindanao, beginning Wednesday.
The tropical cyclone is also expected to bring heavy rainfall to Extreme Northern Luzon.
Sea conditions
Moderate to rough seas may begin affecting the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon and the eastern seaboards of the Visayas and Mindanao by Tuesday.
Hazardous sea conditions, with very rough to very high seas, may affect the northern and eastern seaboards of Luzon from Wednesday onward.
PAGASA said a gale warning for very rough seas will be issued on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
Track, intensity
Champi will continue moving west-northwestward until it enters the PAR on Tuesday, after which it is expected to move toward Taiwan while remaining over the Philippine Sea.
The tropical cyclone is forecast to maintain its strength over the next 12 hours before re-intensifying beginning Sunday evening or Tuesday.
PAGASA said Champi may again reach super typhoon category, with further intensification possible while it moves over the Philippine Sea.
A gradual weakening trend is expected to begin on Wednesday after the tropical cyclone reaches its peak intensity.
Raffy Tulfo, Padilla, Cayetano, Vico Sotto statistically tied in hypothetical 2028 Senate race
MANILA, Philippines — Sens. Raffy Tulfo, Robin Padilla, Alan Peter Cayetano and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto are statistically tied at the top of a hypothetical 2028 senatorial race, according to the latest Tugon ng Masa survey by OCTA Research.
Tulfo registered a 47% voting preference, followed by Padilla with 45%, Cayetano with 44% and Sotto with 42%. The four share a rank range of first to fourth, meaning their relative positions cannot be considered statistically fixed.
Former senator Grace Poe followed with 36%, while Sen. Loren Legarda registered 31%.
Rounding out the list of prospective senatorial candidates were:
Sen. Raffy Tulfo — 47%
Sen. Robin Padilla — 45%
Former Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano — 44%
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto — 42%
Former senator Grace Poe — 36%
Sen. Loren Legarda — 31%
Makati City Mayor Abby Binay — 29%
Mark Lapid — 28%
Former Senate president Francis “Chiz” Escudero — 27%
Sen. Sonny Angara — 25%
Former senator Manny Pacquiao — 25%
Broadcaster Ben Tulfo — 23%
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada — 22%
Former Senate president Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III — 20%
Former presidential spokesperson Salvador “Sal” Panelo — 20%
Former Sen. Mark Villar — 19%
Former senators Gringo Honasan and Francis “Tol” Tolentino — 18% each
OCTA's ranking placed Tulfo, Padilla, Cayetano and Sotto within the same statistical rank range of first to fourth. Poe ranked fifth to sixth, while Legarda's rank range extended from fifth to ninth.
Changes from previous survey
Compared with the second-quarter 2026 survey, Tulfo's voting preference was largely unchanged, from 47.4% to 47%, while Padilla's figure declined from 53.9% to 45%.
Cayetano's rating eased from 45.4% to 44%, while Sotto's remained steady at 42%, compared with 42% in the previous survey.
Poe's preference fell from 44.5% to 36%, while Legarda's declined from 39% to 31%. Pacquiao also recorded a lower figure, from 34.5% to 25%.
Angara's rating rose from 19.2% to 25%, while Escudero's increased from 23.2% to 27%.
OCTA warned that comparisons between survey rounds should be made carefully because the lists of names presented to respondents differed.
The poll asked respondents whom they would likely vote for as senator if the May 2028 elections were held at the time of the survey, allowing them to select up to 12 names.
"The findings should not be interpreted as a forecast of the 2028 senatorial election. They provide only a snapshot of voter preferences during the September 28 to October 4, 2026 fieldwork period," OCTA said.
"Preferences may change substantially as political alignments, candidacies, campaign conditions, public issues, and voter information evolve," it added.
The non-commissioned nationwide survey has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points at a 95% confidence level.