Abbey M.

The House prosecution panel has listed 57 witnesses it intends to present in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, including former Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang and a woman named Mary Grace Piattos, who is allegedly among those who received funds from the Office of the Vice President.

Carandang is being presented by the prosecution to establish his investigation into the bank accounts and transactions of Vice President Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, as well as to identify the results of that investigation.

Carandang was dismissed by the Duterte administration in 2018 after he disclosed his bank investigation into the former president. The court later ruled, however, that former President Duterte had no authority to dismiss Carandang.

Mary Grace Piattos is also listed as a prosecution witness and is expected to testify in connection with the receipt of confidential funds.

The prosecution is requesting 62 trial dates to present all of its witnesses.

‍

The National Bureau of Investigation is set to recommend the filing of human trafficking charges against former Congressman Mike Defensor in connection with a KTV bar linked to him that was raided earlier this year.

NBI Director Atty. Melvin Matibag said their investigation revealed that Defensor had personal knowledge of the activities inside the establishment.

"After nating pag-aralan yung kaso together with STG, NCR, lumalabas na talagang si Mike Defensor kasama rito and we will filing this case," Matibag said.

(After we studied the case together with STG and NCR, it turned out that Mike Defensor is really involved in this, and we will be filing this case.)

The NBI raided the KTV bar in April over alleged human trafficking activities on the premises. Records also showed that Defensor is the chairman of Cliffpoint Square, where the establishment is located.

Matibag said the investigation showed that Defensor's involvement went beyond that of an ordinary lessor.

"He has knowledge, he has personal knowledge hindi ordinary na nagpapa renta lang siya, alam niya lahat ang pangyayari and he has the one who consented to the design in order to cater doon sa kanilang plano na human trafficking," the NBI director said.

(He has knowledge, he has personal knowledge — he is not an ordinary lessor. He knew everything that was happening, and he was the one who consented to the design in order to cater to their human trafficking plan.)

The NBI also found that the establishment's actual structure deviated from the floor plan submitted to the Pasig City Engineering Office.

"So ano ang bottom line, chinange nila yung design para yung Chicago at Bleu hotel can perpetrate yung ginagawa nila na human trafficking at malinaw na yung ginagawa ni Mike Defensor kasama siya so hindi sila ordinary lessor at talagang pinagplanuhan yung gagawin they even violated the building code pagpapalit ng design ng walang paalam, so I notice na mayroon na silang sinagot doon may binabanggit silang tao na sinabi nila iyon ang pinagpasahan nila but wala man lang statement yung tao," Matibag said.

(So the bottom line is, they changed the design so that Chicago and Bleu hotel could perpetrate their human trafficking activities. It is clear that Mike Defensor is involved — they are not ordinary lessors. They planned everything. They even violated the building code by altering the design without permission. I also noticed they already gave a response mentioning a person they claim they transacted with, but that person has no statement on record.)

Matibag also announced that charges of solicitation would be filed against a certain Laurence Tan, who was among those arrested.

"Mayroon doong personality na nahuli si Mister Laurence Tan will be also filing sa kaniya ng crimes of solicitation iyon yata ang ating ipa-file diyan," he said.

(There is a certain personality who was caught — Mr. Laurence Tan — and we will also be filing charges of solicitation against him.)

The NBI chief denied that the case against Defensor was politically motivated.

"Well nakita niyo yung mga ebidensiya, malinaw yun mga ebidensiya natin, this is the very reason why we are putting out the evidence to the public so that the public can judge pulitika ba talaga ito or talagang may violation ba na ginawa," Matibag said.

(Well, you saw the evidence — our evidence is clear. This is the very reason why we are putting the evidence out to the public, so that the public can judge whether this is really political or whether there was truly a violation committed.)

For his part, Defensor denied the allegations in a video he posted online, saying all structural changes to the establishment were approved by the Pasig City building official under Mayor Vico Sotto.

"Yung mga sinasabi nilang istruktura, papaanong mangyayari yung istruktura ito'y lahat ini-approve ng Pasig City, inapprove ito ng building official sa ilalim ng ating butihing Mayor Vico Sotto kaya itong sinasabi nilang kalokohang iniba ko raw ang building plan ay wala pong katotohanan," Defensor said.

(As for what they are saying about the structure — how could that be, when everything was approved by Pasig City? It was approved by the building official under our good Mayor Vico Sotto. So this nonsense they are saying about me changing the building plan has no truth to it.)

Defensor also accused the NBI of failing to look into what he described as corruption allegations involving the bureau director's own wife.

"Ang NBI dapat ginagamit sa tama iyang mga kurapsyon, iyan ang dapat imbestigahan eh papaanong magkakaroon ng imbestigasyon na tama na hinihingi ng taumbayan kung ang asawa mismo ni Attorney Melvin Matibag akala mo kung sino bureau director lamang akala mo kung sino na siyang magsalita eh maging sa mga Senador, itong mga kalaban sa pulitika eh hindi niya maimbestigahan dahil mismong sila ay involve sa bilyong-bilyong kurapsyon sa flood control diyan sa San Pedro, Laguna," he said.

(The NBI should be used properly — corruption is what should be investigated. How can there be a proper investigation as the public demands when the wife of Attorney Melvin Matibag herself — acting as if the bureau director is someone great, speaking even to senators — those political enemies cannot be investigated because they themselves are involved in billions worth of corruption in flood control projects in San Pedro, Laguna.)

Despite the impending complaint, Defensor said he is prepared to face the charges the NBI intends to file against him.

‍

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) denied receiving any warrant of arrest from the court against Senator Rodante Marcoleta.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said reports circulating online claiming the agency already holds an arrest warrant for the senator are not true.

Director Matibag also denied separate claims that the NBI has received a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Senator Christopher "Bong" Go.

"Nababasa ko iyan eh may mga tao na nagcha-challenge na si Matibag natakot ewan ko kung sino ang mga iyan na dahil ayaw arestuhin si Marcoleta naririnig ko iyan pero wala pong warrant of arrest eh, these people who are challenging me na arestuhin, bring me a legal and valid warrant of arrest to anybody and we will enforce it, we will arrest anyone," Matibag said.

(I've been reading that, there are people challenging that Matibag got scared, I don't know who these people are — because they don't want Marcoleta arrested, I've been hearing that — but there is no warrant of arrest. To the people challenging me to make an arrest, bring me a legal and valid warrant of arrest for anybody and we will enforce it, we will arrest anyone.)

‍

The pre-trial conference for the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte is set to continue on Wednesday, with the marking of evidence related to the Articles of Impeachment still ongoing.

Senate Secretary and Clerk of Court Atty. Renato Bantug Jr. said many documents have yet to be marked, but the court is working to finish the process as soon as possible to stay on schedule.

Despite the tight timeline, Bantug Jr. maintained that July 6 remains the target date for the start of the impeachment trial proper.

"July 6 is still the date of the start of the trial proper of the impeachment case. While it may be difficult on the part of the court, on the part of the staff, at this point July 6 as the start of the trial proper is not yet an impossibility — tight, but not impossible," he said.

Bantug Jr. said the pre-trial conference must be completed this week so the court can issue a pre-trial order. Once released, each party will have three days to submit their comments.

"Supposing that we end tomorrow, what may happen is that we may not be able to release the pre-trial order by tomorrow. But as it is happening now, we obviously cannot even issue a pre-trial order until all documents are marked, until the pre-trial is concluded. Since the pre-trial order may come in by next week, how will that affect the July 6 start of the trial? If you are to base it on a simple count of calendar days, it's still possible," he explained.

The clerk of court acknowledged, however, that finishing the pre-marking of evidence on the same day was not feasible.

"That's almost certain that we cannot end the marking today. We'll try our best to have it done by tomorrow. But the pace today compared to the previous days was a bit faster because we added one more team for the marking," Bantug Jr. said.

On a separate matter, Bantug Jr. deferred to the Senate Impeachment Court the decision on a manifestation filed by the House prosecution panel requesting the opening of a sealed box containing the tax records of Vice President Duterte and her husband, Atty. Mans Carpio.

He emphasized that only the Impeachment Court has the authority to rule on whether the box may be opened and its contents marked during the pre-trial conference.

"The present status is that we have a box — a box that is sealed, its contents unknown. In today's manifestation, the prosecution is asking that we open it so that we can pre-mark its contents. The pre-trial conference cannot decide on that. As clerk of court, I cannot decide on that. It is a matter that only the impeachment court can decide on," he said.

Bantug Jr. clarified that even if the Impeachment Court does not act on it immediately, the box can still be opened and marked once the trial proper begins.

The clerk of court said he must first inform the senator-judges of the prosecution panel's manifestation before any decision can be made.

Meanwhile, the defense team of Vice President Duterte said it is prepared to formally respond to the prosecution's manifestations, including the request to open the sealed BIR box.

Defense team spokesperson Atty. Michael T. Poa said: "Natanggap lang namin kaninang umaga. Hindi pa namin nababasa ng talagang malaliman dahil as you know we were in the marking. But ang sabi ko lang is we will respond. We will formally respond to the manifestation."

(We only received it this morning. We have not yet read it thoroughly because as you know we were in the marking. But what I can say is we will respond. We will formally respond to the manifestation.)

Days after a deadly shooting inside a Tacloban City high school left three students dead and wounded more than a dozen others, a growing number of Filipino parents are reconsidering whether traditional schooling remains a safe option for their children, and turning to homeschooling as an alternative.

On June 22, two minor suspects aged 14 and 15 opened fire inside San Jose National High School in Tacloban City at around 9:20 in the morning while classes were ongoing, killing three students and wounding at least 13 others. 

The Department of Education (DepEd) classified the incident as a "high-alert situation" and condemned the act of violence. 

The attack has since reignited a national conversation about campus security and the viability of homeschooling as a safer educational option.

Bullying and Safety Already a Major Concern

School safety concerns in the Philippines predate the Tacloban shooting. Based on the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment, nearly half of Filipino students aged 15 reported being bullied at least a few times a month — 43 % of girls and 53 % of boys figures more than double the OECD global averages. 

The Philippines has been internationally tagged as the "bullying capital of the world" based on PISA findings. 

The institutional response has drawn criticism. DepEd disclosed earlier this year that only 966 out of more than 45,000 schools in the country have a functioning Anti-Bullying Committee  approximately 2 %, a figure Senator Sherwin Gatchalian described as "shocking" and a violation of existing law. 

The suspects in the Tacloban shooting told police in initial questioning that they had been victims of bullying at school. However, Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who visited Tacloban and attended the wake of one of the slain students, said he was not convinced the motive was bullying alone, citing chat messages that suggested the attack was premeditated. 

What homeschooling offers?

Homeschooling allows parents to remove their children from the peer environment where bullying and school violence occur. It also eliminates commute risks, unsupervised hallways, and the structural gaps that allow threats to go undetected in overcrowded classrooms.

Globally, 83 percent of homeschooling parents cite school environment concerns, including safety, drug exposure, and negative peer pressure, as their primary reason for choosing home education, making it the single biggest driver ahead of religious or academic motivations. -

Homeschooling gives parents direct oversight of their child's daily environment, something institutional schooling, by design, cannot offer.

Legal framework and available programs

Homeschooling in the Philippines is legally recognized and regulated by the Department of Education.

DepEd memoranda governing homeschooling date back to 1997, with revised guidelines issued as recently as 2021. The program is anchored in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which affirms the natural right of parents to rear and educate their children. 

Under DepEd Order No. 1 s. 2022, both public and private schools may offer a Homeschooling Program as an Alternative Delivery Mode. 

Public schools must secure authorization from the Regional Office, while private schools are required to obtain a permit to offer the program. 

Parents enrolling their children under the program are not required to be licensed teachers but must follow a DepEd-aligned curriculum and coordinate with their school division office.

Violence in schools not isolated to Tacloban

The Tacloban incident is not isolated. This month alone, two separate stabbing incidents occurred in schools in Cavite province, one suspect was 18 years old, the other was 14. 

DepEd Metro Manila recorded approximately 2,500 bullying cases in School Year 2024 to 2025, a 10 percent increase from the previous year. Secretary Angara called the situation a national priority requiring a "whole-of-government, whole-of-society response." 

The Philippine National Police has vowed to file charges against the gun owners whose firearms were used in the Tacloban attack, stating that firearm ownership carries both responsibility and accountability. 

Classes at San Jose National High School remain suspended. DepEd has deployed psychosocial support services for affected students and personnel and has coordinated with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for additional interventions. 

DepEd reiterates commitment to school safety

In a statement following the shooting, DepEd said the safety, well-being, and mental health of learners remain among its highest and most uncompromisable priorities, adding that the agency is committed to ensuring schools remain secure and supportive environments for all students. 

For parents who have lost confidence in that assurance, homeschooling is no longer a fringe option. Under current DepEd guidelines, it is a recognized, structured, and legal alternative, one that more Filipino families are now actively pursuing.

‍