Voting results showed 255 of 317 lawmakers backed the impeachment complaint, comfortably surpassing the one-third threshold required under the Philippine constitution to elevate the case to the Senate.

Duterte faces allegations including misuse of public funds, accumulation of unexplained wealth and threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady and a former House speaker. She has denied wrongdoing, while her legal team has described the complaint as defective and politically motivated.

If convicted in a Senate trial, Duterte would be removed from office and permanently barred from holding elected office, a penalty that could derail any attempt to seek the presidency in 2028.

The impeachment vote came minutes after the Senate elected longtime Duterte ally Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, replacing Vicente Sotto III in a 13-9 vote with two abstentions.Cayetano, who served as foreign secretary under former president Rodrigo Duterte, denied the leadership change was linked to the impeachment proceedings.

“I do not blame you if you’re saying that the change in leadership was due to the impeachment, it was not,” Cayetano told senators after the vote.Under Philippine law, the Senate acts as an impeachment court once charges are transmitted from the House.

A guilty verdict requires support from two-thirds of senators.The latest impeachment effort follows a failed attempt in June 2025, when the Senate convened an impeachment court in televised proceedings before returning the case to the House, a move critics described as a de facto dismissal.Political dynamics in the upper chamber have shifted since then.

Candidates aligned with Duterte performed strongly in the May 2025 midterm elections, winning five of 12 contested Senate seats and improving her chances of surviving a trial.Among senators present during Monday’s proceedings was Ronald dela Rosa, the former national police chief who played a central role in Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

Dela Rosa had largely stayed out of public view since November last year.Dela Rosa and Senator Christopher Go are among current and former officials named by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court as alleged co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case linked to Duterte’s anti-drug crackdown.

Dennis Coronacion, chair of the political science department at University of Santo Tomas, said before the vote that Duterte’s acquittal remained a realistic possibility because of support from newly elected senators.“There are new senators who have been very vocal that they are supporting the vice president,” he told AFP.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it deployed aircraft on Wednesday to monitor the Chinese research ship Xiang Yang Hong 33 near Iroquois Reef in the Spratly Islands, where it observed the vessel launching a service boat toward the reef.The coast guard said the operation “confirmed ongoing unauthorized marine scientific research activities” within waters over which the Philippines claims sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

Iroquois Reef lies at the southern edge of Reed Bank, an area believed to contain substantial natural gas and oil reserves and long viewed as strategically significant for Manila’s energy security.

During the aerial patrol, Philippine authorities also reported spotting 41 vessels identified as part of China’s “maritime militia” anchored near Iroquois Reef and around Thitu Island, a Philippine-controlled outpost in the Spratlys inhabited by about 400 civilians and home to a recently established coast guard station.“The Philippines has not granted such consent to the People’s Republic of China for any marine scientific research activities in these waters,” the coast guard said in a statement.

It added that the presence of the research vessel alongside the concentration of Chinese maritime militia ships represented “a serious infringement on Philippine sovereign rights and maritime jurisdiction.”China’s embassy in Manila defended the activities, reiterating Beijing’s longstanding claim of “historic rights” over much of the South China Sea and asserting that the islands and reefs concerned were Chinese territory.

The embassy said Chinese research vessels had carried out their missions “in accordance with international law.”The Xiang Yang Hong 33, a research vessel capable of supporting deep-sea submersible operations, departed China more than three weeks ago and has since been tracked near several Philippine-claimed features in the Spratly chain, including Sabina Shoal and Second Thomas Shoal, both recurring flashpoints between the two countries.

Tensions between Beijing and Manila have intensified in recent years as China expanded coast guard, naval and maritime militia deployments across the contested waterway, where competing territorial claims overlap with key shipping lanes and potentially resource-rich seabeds.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that found Beijing’s sweeping claims had no legal basis under international law. China has rejected the ruling.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the incident occurred before nightfall on Saturday when accumulated lava on the volcano’s southwestern slope gave way, sending an avalanche of hot rocks, ash and gas downslope.

The agency’s director, Teresito Bacolcol, said the volcano has been exhibiting mild eruptive activity intermittently since January but emphasized that no explosive eruption had taken place.Authorities reported no casualties, though ash clouds spread across 87 villages in three towns, reducing visibility to near zero in some areas and disrupting road movement.

Caloy Baldo, mayor of Camalig, said residents were caught off guard by the density of the ashfall, which he described as severe enough to halt traffic along national roads.Local officials said agricultural losses were reported, particularly in vegetable farms, while livestock deaths included four water buffaloes and one cow.

Cleanup operations were underway in affected communities, including Camalig, which has a population of about 8,000 people.The volcano, rising 2,462 meters and known for its near-symmetrical cone, is among the Philippines’ most active and closely monitored.

Authorities had raised its alert status to Level 3 in January, indicating heightened unrest with potential for hazardous eruptions, including rockfalls and pyroclastic flows.Bacolcol said conditions had stabilized as of Monday but warned that the threat of further activity remained, noting that the volcano’s behavior continues to require close monitoring under the current alert level.

The dispute marks the latest escalation between China and the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, over Sandy Cay, an unoccupied sandbar located in one of the region’s most contested maritime zones.China’s Coast Guard said it had identified five Philippine personnel who landed on Sandy Cay, calling the move illegal and accusing Manila of violating Chinese sovereignty, according to state-run outlet Global Times.

The report did not specify whether Chinese authorities had taken any direct action following the alleged landing.Last week, Manila said it had dispatched Philippine Coast Guard personnel to the same area after Chinese state media published images showing Chinese coast guard officers on Sandy Cay holding a Chinese national flag, an act that drew criticism in the Philippines.

The competing actions have further strained already tense relations between the two countries, which have repeatedly confronted each other over reefs, shoals and fishing zones across the South China Sea.Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly the entire strategic waterway despite overlapping claims by several Southeast Asian nations and a 2016 international arbitration ruling that rejected the legal basis of much of China’s claim.

China has rejected that ruling and continues to maintain an extensive coast guard and maritime militia presence across the region.Also on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard said Manila had identified four Chinese vessels conducting what it described as illegal research activities inside Philippine waters and warned that aircraft and ships could be deployed to force them to leave.

The official did not specify the precise location of the Chinese vessels or the nature of the research operations.China’s Foreign Ministry and the Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The renewed confrontation underscores the volatility of maritime disputes in the South China Sea, where sovereignty claims intersect with strategic shipping lanes, fishing grounds and potential offshore energy reserves.

The dispute remains closely watched by Washington, which has repeatedly reaffirmed that its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines applies to armed attacks on Philippine forces, vessels and aircraft in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.

Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is expected to begin on May 25 this year in the holy city of Makkah. For many Muslims in the Philippines, where they make up around 10 percent of the country’s predominantly Catholic population of 110 million, the pilgrimage requires years of preparation due to high travel and accommodation costs.

Rasmia Paniorotan, 59, from Marawi, said she had nearly given up hope of performing Hajj after losing her home and business during the 2017 siege that devastated the southern Philippine city.“When ground zero happened, everything was destroyed. We lost everything our home, our business,” Paniorotan said, adding that her daughter had been supporting the family since.

Earlier this year, her daughter surprised her by arranging the pilgrimage for both parents.“One day, she told us to prepare our passports. We asked why, and when she said it was for Hajj, we wondered where we would get the money,” Paniorotan said. “She only said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.’

She said leaving for Saudi Arabia on Friday was an emotional moment.“I thought we would never be able to go. I lost hope,” she said. “No matter what happens, I am going to Makkah.”According to Zainoden Usudan, head of the pilgrimage bureau at the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, financial readiness remains the biggest barrier for many applicants.

The cost of performing Hajj can reach 350,000 Philippine pesos, or about $5,700, a significant amount for many households, particularly in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, where most Filipino Muslims reside.“Some save for years for this once-in-a-lifetime journey,” Usudan said. “Before qualifying for Hajj, you must be physically, mentally and financially prepared.

Among these, financial readiness is the most difficult.”Soraya Marandacan, a school nurse from Marawi, said she spent nearly a decade saving small amounts from her monthly salary and bonuses to fund her pilgrimage.

“I would set aside 5,000 or 10,000 pesos every month until I was able to save enough,” she said.Her plans were delayed by the prolonged illness of her husband, who died in December 2024 after battling colon cancer. Medical expenses, she said, consumed much of her savings.

Economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said they would avoid export bans on essential goods and strengthen regional cooperation on energy, food and supply chains.

Philippine Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said rising oil and transport costs were increasing pressure on food systems and household expenses across the bloc, which relies heavily on imported fuel.

ASEAN also agreed to speed up its regional power grid project and push ratification of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Petroleum Security to enable coordinated emergency fuel-sharing during supply disruptions.

The issue is expected to feature prominently at the 2026 ASEAN Summit in Cebu next week.

The Philippines becomes the 13th member of Pax Silica, a programme designed to safeguard the full spectrum of the technology supply chain, including critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, computing and data infrastructure.

The initiative forms part of the Trump administration’s broader economic strategy to reduce reliance on rival nations and deepen coordination among allied partners. Other participating countries include Australia, Finland, India, Qatar, South Korea and Singapore.

The planned industrial hub will be located within the Luzon Economic Corridor, a key economic zone encompassing Manila and surrounding regions with established manufacturing capacity. The Philippines, Japan and the United States have also committed to increasing infrastructure investment in the corridor under a trilateral framework agreement.

“It is intended to serve as a staging point for a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing,” the State Department said, adding that both countries aim to reinforce supply chains across semiconductors, electronics and other critical sectors.

The project underscores strengthening ties between Manila and Washington under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has moved to deepen cooperation with the United States.

The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, has also taken on strategic importance in Washington’s efforts to counter China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the woman died on Sunday “alongside her Israeli husband and elderly parents-in-law” when the home was hit. Israeli rescue services reported recovering four bodies from the rubble following the strike, which was attributed to an Iranian missile attack.

Local media identified the Filipino victim by her given name, Lucille-Jean, stating that she and her family were pulled from the collapsed residence after hours of rescue operations.

The Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv has notified the victim’s relatives and is coordinating assistance, including efforts to repatriate her remains despite ongoing travel disruptions in the region.

The death marks the second confirmed Filipino fatality since hostilities escalated following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Mary Ann Velasquez De Vera, a 32-year-old caregiver, was killed on March 1 while attempting to bring her elderly ward to a bomb shelter.

The conflict has placed an estimated two million Filipinos living and working across the Middle East at risk, many of whom are employed as domestic workers or in maritime roles. The Philippines relies heavily on remittances sent home by overseas workers, making the situation a growing concern for authorities in Manila.

Thousands of Filipino seafarers remain stranded amid heightened risks in the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping activity has been severely disrupted. Philippine officials said Iran had pledged to allow safe passage for Filipino vessels and crew, though no clear timeline has been provided.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump reiterated warnings that the United States could target Iranian infrastructure if tensions continue to escalate, as diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire remain unresolved.

The United States Geological Survey said the offshore quake was followed by aftershocks reaching magnitudes of up to 5. Indonesia’s meteorology agency reported small tsunami waves of 0.3 meters in West Halmahera and 0.2 meters in Bitung.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a regional tsunami alert but lifted it about two hours later, stating that the threat had passed based on available data.Local broadcaster Metro TV reported that one person died after being struck by falling rubble in Manado, in North Sulawesi province.

Indonesian officials confirmed the casualty, saying the victim was buried under debris from a collapsed building. One additional person suffered a leg injury.Residents described scenes of panic as the quake struck, with people fleeing their homes. A Manado resident said the shaking lasted for a prolonged period, causing items to fall from shelves and cutting power in some areas, though no major structural damage was visible in her neighborhood.

Authorities reported damage to several buildings in North Sulawesi, though the full extent remained unclear. Regional officials in areas including Ternate and Tidore urged residents to prepare for possible evacuations in the immediate aftermath.

Tsunami warning agencies had cautioned that hazardous waves were possible along coastlines within 1,000 km of the epicenter, including parts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Subsequent assessments by authorities in both countries indicated no significant threat to their territories.Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 280 million people, lies along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plate interactions frequently trigger earthquakes and volcanic activity.

In recent history, the country has experienced some of the world’s deadliest seismic disasters, including the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people across multiple countries, and a 2018 quake and tsunami in Sulawesi that claimed over 4,300 lives.

Marcos told reporters he had consulted counterparts across the 10-member bloc on whether to postpone the gathering, but leaders agreed that coordination was more critical given the external shocks affecting fuel supply chains, food prices and migrant workers.

“The consensus that we came to is that it is precisely now that we must coordinate our efforts,” Marcos said.

The streamlined agenda will concentrate on immediate economic pressures facing Southeast Asia, including volatility in energy markets and rising food costs, which governments in the region are monitoring closely as geopolitical tensions persist.

ASEAN economies are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in global fuel prices due to their reliance on imports, while supply chain disruptions have added strain to domestic inflation dynamics in several member states.

Marcos said discussions would also address the welfare of migrant workers, a key issue for ASEAN countries that rely heavily on overseas employment. Regional governments have been assessing the impact of instability in the Middle East, a major destination for Southeast Asian labour.

The Philippine government has already flagged concerns about overseas workers in affected areas, reflecting broader anxieties across ASEAN about potential displacement and income disruptions.

The decision to proceed with the summit underscores ASEAN’s preference for continuity in regional dialogue despite global uncertainty. Marcos indicated that postponement was considered but ultimately rejected in favour of maintaining diplomatic engagement.

The summit is expected to retain core leadership interactions while scaling back ceremonial and extended policy sessions, reflecting what Marcos described as a need for efficiency under current conditions.