Abbey M.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung laid out his roadmap for peace with North Korea, timed to South Korea's Liberation Day, marking 80 years since the country broke free from Japanese colonial rule in 1945.

Lee said it's time to turn his earlier pledge, to respect North Korea's system and hold off on hostile acts, into concrete action.

Talking to North Korea is not surrender, Lee stressed. It's the opening move toward peaceful coexistence between the two nations.

The South Korean president also wants crisis-prevention mechanisms in place to keep tensions from boiling over, especially along the inter-Korean border.

Our single step will lower military tensions in the border region, act as the priming water for building trust, and serve as the foundation for a stable Korean Peninsula."  Lee Jae Myung said.

The two Koreas remain locked in an uneasy standoff. Technically, they're still at war. Only an armistice, never a peace treaty, ended the fighting in 1953.

That's exactly why Lee is pushing both sides to the table, to finally close the book on a war that's dragged on for more than seven decades.

Ending the war isn't the only goal. Lee sees dialogue as the door to reining in Pyongyang's expanding nuclear arsenal.

This isn't Lee's first attempt. He's extended the olive branch to Pyongyang multiple times since taking office in 2025, only to be met with silence, while North Korea deepens its military alliance with Russia.

Pyongyang, for its part, has drawn a hard line: its nuclear weapons are non-negotiable, and it intends to stay a nuclear state. It's also pushing back hard against the upcoming joint military exercises between South Korea and the US.

For now, Seoul is banking on one thing: that the door to dialogue can swing open again, the first real step toward finally ending the Korean War.

‍

The Department of National Defense responded to the Chinese Embassy after its spokesperson, Ji Lingpeng, questioned statements made by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro regarding the raid on a factory in Misamis Oriental producing substandard and hazardous chemical-laced steel.

The DND called the Chinese Embassy's latest statement a blatant interference in the internal affairs of the Philippines.

This came after the embassy accused Secretary Teodoro of allegedly distorting facts regarding the arrest of 69 Chinese workers at a steel factory raided in Misamis Oriental on May 15.

The Chinese Embassy also questioned why the Department of National Defense was involved in the law enforcement operation.

In its official statement, the DND stressed that it has no obligation to answer questions from any foreign government or embassy.

Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Executive Director Benjamin Acorda Jr. earlier disclosed during a Senate hearing last week that the Chinese Embassy allegedly threatened to go after Filipinos in China if the Chinese nationals arrested in Misamis Oriental were not released.

In his statement, Chinese Embassy in the Philippines spokesperson Ji Lingpeng questioned why the Armed Forces of the Philippines was part of the operation conducted at Sanya Steel Corporation.

Ji asked why the Chinese workers were arrested while the Filipino workers at the same steel factory were released, and why the Chinese nationals have remained in detention for a long time.

But the DND said it is the Chinese Embassy itself that should explain its alleged support for those involved in illegal activities within Philippine sovereign territory.

The Defense Department also maintained that it will not stop enforcing the law and cracking down on violations, regardless of opposition, including from the Chinese Embassy.

‍

Malacañang distanced itself from the issue of the leadership fund disclosed by former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

The Palace maintained that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not tolerate any irregularity in the use of national funds, regardless of who among his Cabinet members is involved.

"Kung alam ng Pangulo iyan, hindi niya iyan ito-tolerate at hindi iyan mangyayari. Pero, mga ganito kasing usapan, minsan lihim." Usec Claire Castro said.

[“If the President knew about that, he would not tolerate it and it would not happen. But matters like this are sometimes kept secret.”]

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had no knowledge of the so-called leadership fund.

According to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, the President will never tolerate such irregularities committed by any official or Cabinet member.

In fact, the President was the first to order an investigation into anomalous projects, including flood control projects.

Based on the testimony of former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan before the Sandiganbayan yesterday, in connection with the malversation case against former Senator Bong Revilla over the alleged ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, he said every senator with a committee chairmanship allegedly receives what is called the "DPWH leadership fund."

This is estimated to be worth one billion pesos, while the standard allocation per senator is 500 million pesos.

Sec. Bonoan said the DPWH leadership fund is specifically set aside for projects recommended by senators.

According to the Palace official, there is nothing wrong if officials have projects. But she said it becomes a different matter if it involves anomalies and kickbacks.

In a statement from the DPWH read by Usec. Castro, the agency assured that there is no leadership fund in their proposed 2027 budget.

"No leadership fund under 2027 budget. All projects proposed in 2027 DPWH budget are based on needs of local and regional governments." Castro added.

‍

The number of Filipinos who experienced hunger dropped by 6.7 percent in the past three months.

This is based on beneficiaries of the government's Walang Gutom Program.

This was reported by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

According to SWS, involuntary hunger dropped from 33.6 percent in the first round of the survey to 26.9 percent in the second round, conducted from June 22 to July 1, 2026.

SWS research fellow Roehlano Briones said the decline was measured just three months after the first round, and described it as a significant drop.

"In three months, by the second round, sukat namin, that by that prevalence went down to just 26.9%. That is a significant dropped of 6.7% points." Briones said. 

Meanwhile, according to Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the number of Filipino families eating properly has risen to 600,000 among the beneficiaries of the government's "Walang Gutom" program. 

Gatchalian said the program expanded to 51 local government units in 2025, and that the remaining 150,000 families will be covered this year to complete the target of 750,000 food-poor families.

"Noong 2025 nag-expand tayo to 51 local government provinces, local government units na ang total na natin ay 600,000 beneficiaries; this year the remaining 150,000 to form the entire 750,000 food poor families kasi matatandaan natin ang target nito food poor families." Secretary Rex added.

‍

Senator Imee Marcos raised concern over the framework contained in the joint venture agreement related to the construction of the artificial intelligence or AI hub Pax Silica in the Philippines.

She specifically flagged a provision in the agreement that could give a foreign entity control over the site, under which 60 percent of land ownership would go to Filipinos while 40 percent would be allotted to a foreign entity.

She also questioned the possible effect of this on residents, indigenous peoples, the environment, and the country's security.

However, the senator clarified that she is not opposed to the project and recognizes its potential to create jobs and investment.

Pax Silica is a proposed AI-native industrial hub covering roughly 4,000 acres in New Clark City, Tarlac, under the US-led Pax Silica Initiative composed of 23 member countries. 

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority earlier said the Philippines and the United States are targeting a November signing of the framework agreement governing the hub.

Marcos said she wants the project studied more closely, and that she hopes the document she received does not reflect the final terms of the agreement. 

She stressed that her questions on the framework should not be read as resistance to the hub itself, since she acknowledges the investment and jobs it could bring to the country.

"Hindi po ako tutol sa Pax Silica, liliwanagin ko... talagang makakatulong sa Pilipinas kung magkakaroon ng libo-libong trabaho tulad ng ipinangako noong SONA." Senator Imee said.

[“I am not opposed to Pax Silica, let me clarify... it will really help the Philippines if it creates thousands of jobs as promised during the SONA.”]

‍