Abbey M.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. kicked off his provincial engagements with the inauguration of a key irrigation project in Bohol before heading to Cebu to visit several ongoing government programs.

The President first attended the inauguration of the Mabini-Cayacay Small Reservoir Irrigation Project in Mabini, Bohol, where he underscored the importance of such infrastructure for farmers facing the threat of El Niño.

According to the President, around 700 farmers from the Mabini-Cayacay Irrigators Association are expected to benefit from the project.

In his remarks, Marcos said that through the project, irrigation would be supported across 530 hectares of farmland spanning five barangays in Mabini and Alicia in Bohol.

"Sa pamamagitan ng proyektong ito, masusuportahan ang irigasyon sa 530 ektaryang sakahan sa limang barangay sa Mabini at Alicia dito sa Bohol. Dahil sa sapat na suplay ng tubig, inaasahan nating tataas ang ani, lalo na ng palay at mga high-value vegetable crop. Dagdag pa diyan, mula sa dalawang beses sa isang taon na pagtatanim."

("Through this project, irrigation will be supported across 530 hectares of farmland in five barangays in Mabini and Alicia here in Bohol. With an adequate water supply, we expect harvests to increase, especially for rice and high-value vegetable crops. On top of that, from twice a year in planting.")

Following the Bohol stop, the President was scheduled to visit a number of sites in Cebu, including the ongoing Metro Cebu Expressway Segment 3A Project in the City of Naga, the rehabilitation of the Mananga River in Talisay City, and the government's Walang Gutom Kitchen program.

Filipino tennis sensation Alexandra Eala delivered one of the biggest upsets of her career on Thursday, June 18, defeating world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals of the 2026 Berlin Open.

Playing on the Steffi Graf Stadion, the Filipina wildcard overturned an early deficit to upset the Kazakh in straight sets at the WTA 500 grass-court tournament. 

The victory carried a layer of redemption for the 21-year-old. Rybakina had ended Eala's run at the Italian Open earlier this season with a 6-4, 6-3 win on the clay courts of Rome. This time, on grass, the tables turned.

Eala overturns 4-1 deficit to claim opening set

In the first set, Eala rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie it at 4-4 before Rybakina briefly regained the lead at 5-4. Eala responded by winning three straight games, including a key break in the 11th game, to close out the opening set. 

After dropping the opening game of the second set, Eala surged to a 3-1 lead and continued to frustrate Rybakina's comeback bid even after the Kazakh star pulled within 5-4. With Rybakina threatening to level the set, the world No. 35 served out the match. 

A backhand error by Rybakina, also the reigning WTA Finals and Australian Open titlist, sealed the win, and Eala let out a huge roar in celebration. 

Eala credits bravery as key to upset win

"I'm really happy with today, of course," Eala said after the match. "It could have gone either way. I think there were really tight moments in both sets and she's an amazing player — she's the one to beat. So I'm happy to have been able to share the court with her again." 

On her returning game, which proved decisive throughout the match, Eala said: "I think for me, returning, and my game in general, a highlight word would be to be brave, and it makes a big difference when I'm able to do that." 

Filipina now 5-4 against top-10 players in 2026

The win raised Eala's record in matches against top-10 players to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in 2026, having also beaten then-No. 4 Coco Gauff at the Indian Wells Open and then-No. 8 Jasmine Paolini at the Dubai Tennis Open earlier this year. 

It was also her second win over a tournament's second seed, following her memorable upset of Iga Świątek in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Miami Open. 

Eala's grass-court form heading into Berlin had already been remarkable. After winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA 125 event in Birmingham, Eala is now 8-1 on grass in 2026, with wins over Rybakina, Queen's Club champion Donna Vekic, and fellow Berlin quarterfinalist Nikola Bartunkova. 

Eala to face Svitolina in quarterfinals; Wimbledon looms

Eala will next face No. 6 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, their first-ever meeting. Beyond Berlin, Eala continues to build momentum ahead of Wimbledon, where she is set to make just her second main draw appearance when the Championships begin on June 29.

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The House prosecution panel is yet to determine its course of action regarding the conviction threshold, the required number of votes to secure a conviction, in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

House Lead Prosecutor and Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro said the panel is currently focused on the pre-trial conference.

Luistro expressed preference for the conviction threshold issue to be resolved before the impeachment trial concludes, but noted that the prosecution team remains concentrated on the pre-trial conference and the forthcoming pre-trial order from the impeachment court, which will serve as a roadmap that cannot be violated during proceedings.

The lawmaker said the prosecution team will still discuss its next steps on the matter.

"Siguro after this pre-trial conference, we will focus discussing this one, no? At come up also with the position of the prosecution kung mayroon ba kaming dapat gawin, kung ito ba ay qualified na to become a subject matter of a petition in court, no? Of course, we recognize also the legal position of the other parties with respect to the threshold," Luistro said.

(Perhaps after this pre-trial conference, we will focus on discussing this, and also come up with the position of the prosecution on whether there is something we should do, whether this is qualified to become a subject matter of a petition in court. Of course, we recognize also the legal position of the other parties with respect to the threshold.)

Under the Constitution, no impeachable official may be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of all members of the Senate.

There are currently 24 senators, though Senator Jinggoy Estrada remains detained on plunder and graft charges, while Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa is in hiding amid an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court.

The conviction threshold has become a contentious issue amid the legal situations facing several senators.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has maintained that 16 senator-judge votes are needed to convict VP Duterte. Luistro, however, holds a different view.

"The threshold must depend on the number of senators within the coercive means or power of the Senate. That is my personal opinion also. But I do recognize the position, contrary opinion of the others," Luistro said.

Meanwhile, House Impeachment Trial Spokesperson and Lanao Del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the House prosecutors are in high spirits amid the pre-trial conference, attributing their confidence to the evidence against the Vice President.

"Our prosecution panel is in high spirits dahil unang-una yung ebidensya at saka yung mga articles at saka yung mga ipe-presenta na mga testimonya at saka mga witnesses ay solid, rock solid na madaling maintindihan ng korte, madaling maintindihan ng ating taumbayan," Adiong said.

(Our prosecution panel is in high spirits because first and foremost, the evidence, the articles, the testimonies to be presented, and the witnesses are solid, rock solid, and easy for the court to understand, easy for our people to understand.)

Luistro also expressed confidence that senator-judges will base their decision on the strength of the evidence.

"My position on that is kung malakas ang ebidensya, regardless of the fact that this is a political process, I think the Senator-Judges will be inclined to look into the evidence and not based purely on political affiliation. Nonetheless, we would like to express our utmost confidence sa lahat ng ating mga senator-judges," Luistro said.

(My position on that is if the evidence is strong, regardless of the fact that this is a political process, I think the Senator-Judges will be inclined to look into the evidence and not based purely on political affiliation. Nonetheless, we would like to express our utmost confidence in all our senator-judges.)

The pre-trial conference is set to continue on Monday, June 22, when both sides are expected to submit their comments on the stipulation process.

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both expressed their desire to further strengthen the relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Russia.

In their joint statement, the two leaders laid out the results of their bilateral dialogue. This came after both parties signed the Kazan Declaration 2026.

According to President Marcos, there is great potential for the ASEAN-Russia relationship to grow across various fields.

"We also discussed developments in the wider Eurasian region and welcomed opportunities for greater engagement between the ASEAN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union. We noted the growing interaction between ASEAN and these organizations and recognized the potential for enhanced cooperation in areas of mutual interest including economic connectivity, trade and investment, energy, agriculture, tourism, and addressing transnational challenges," Marcos said.

President Putin, meanwhile, said Russia will continue to support ASEAN in its efforts to maintain peace in the region.

"I'd like to highlight as well that Russia would comprehensively continue to facilitate ASEAN states in their effort to maintain peace and stability in Southeast Asia and in a wider sense, in shaping around the Eurasian region of a robust, open and wholistic security system as well as a multifaceted cooperation to bring together different integrational processes on the continent and happening within such associations as ASEAN, Eurasian Economic Union and Shanghai Cooperation Organization," Putin said.

A coalition of doctors and lawyers believes that Executive Secretary Ralph Recto played a role in the controversial transfer of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds, which they say occurred when he was still serving as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Coalition of Doctors and Lawyers returned to the Office of the Ombudsman yesterday to file a Motion for Reconsideration, asking the body to re-examine the controversial 60-billion-peso PhilHealth fund transfer to the National Treasury.

The petitioner-complainants are appealing the Ombudsman's earlier decision, which absolved Executive Secretary and former Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, as well as former PhilHealth President and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., of charges including plunder, graft, technical malversation, and grave misconduct.

The earlier Ombudsman resolution stated that there was insufficient evidence to establish the cases against Recto and Ledesma. However, the complainants are reiterating that Recto bears responsibility for the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury, and that the Ombudsman erred in dismissing the charges against him.

In their Motion for Reconsideration, the complainants detailed Recto's alleged participation in the PhilHealth fund transfer, stating that he was involved in crafting the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) while serving as Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives. They also claim he was a member of the Bicameral Conference Committee, where they believe a special provision was inserted that became the legal basis for the transfer of 89 billion pesos in PhilHealth funds.

Complainant Atty. Rodel Taton explained that Recto's alleged involvement spans his entire career progression from legislator to executive official.

"We start when he was a member of the house of representatives and from there he became a member of the panel in the bicameral conference in the GAA of 2024 and from there he was appointed as the finance department secretary and of course we also note that he became the executive secretary."

The complainants also noted a significant increase in unprogrammed appropriations for Lipa City in Batangas, which is Recto's congressional district. According to the group, the allocation rose from 50 million pesos in 2023 to 3.6 billion pesos in 2024, leading them to conclude that the fund transfer was deliberate.

Atty. Taton added that the facts surrounding the fund transfer point to benefits flowing toward Recto's district.

"Masusunduan natin na ang facts ay magli-lead doon sa benepisyo doon sa bayan niya at sa kanyang distrito and we are saying that this does not only prejudice the other members of the PhilHealth nation wide but the entire government of the republic of the Philippines."

("We will find that the facts will lead to the benefit of his town and his district, and we are saying that this does not only prejudice the other members of PhilHealth nationwide but the entire government of the Republic of the Philippines.")

The petitioners maintained that PhilHealth funds should not be casually moved, as they represent a statutory and constitutional commitment to universal healthcare.

Atty. Taton also stressed that the fund transfer itself was legally prohibited under existing health legislation.

"We have to note also that the PhilHealth law and the universal health care law prohibit the transfer of funds from the PhilHealth to any other appropriations."

Executive Secretary Recto has yet to issue a new statement on the matter, though he has previously said there was no malicious intent behind the PhilHealth fund transfer. A response from Malacañang is still being awaited.

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