Dev Flores

Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian confirms the continuous preparation for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on July 6, 2026.

He also assures that the schedule will not be affected by the ongoing conflicts in the Senate.

The Senate also issued a notice of pre-trial conference to the house prosecution team and to the defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“So pinadala na namin yan both to the defense and the prosecution team, and the next step they will send us their pre-trial brief containing the items in the pre-trial notice,” he said

[“So we have already sent that both to the defense and the prosecution team, and the next step they will send us their pre-trial brief containing the items in the pre-trial notice.”]

He also mentioned that he already met the impeachment internal team to ensure that ‘preparations are in order’.

However, the official Senate Presiding Officer of the trial remains unconfirmed, a matter he said they have to discuss.

With reports from Jed Nerecina

The Senate has issued notice of pre-trial conference to the House prosecution panel for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. 

The conference is scheduled on June 18, 2026, at 9:00 AM in the Senate building; the following agenda includes:

1. Stipluation of facts and simplification of issues;
2. Marking of documentary or real evidence and waiver of objections or admissions on evidence;
3. Number and identification of witnesses
4. Setting of trial dates
5. The proposed sequence for the presentation of evidence and possible modification of the order of trial.

Both parties – Vice President Sara Duterte and the House prosecution team are required to attend physically or through their legal counsel. However, the proceedings are closed to the media to execute more open discussion between the two sides.

Additionally, both sides must submit their pre-trial briefs to the clerk of the impeachment court ahead of the conference.

“The parties are required to file with the Clerk of the Impeachment Court and serve upon the adverse party their respective Pre-Trial Briefs via personal delivery or official electronic mail no later than June 15, 2026,” based on the issued notice

The notice of pre-trial conference is signed by acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) reports the suspension of several tourism-related activities in the Davao region, T’boli, and General Santos City.

In Davao Region, several activities are suspended or postponed, including the Masbol Festival, Reyna ng Davao 2026, eco parks, coastal tourism, and water activities in Davao Oriental.

A landslide also occurred in Mt. Melibengoy at Lake Holon, located in T’boli, South Cotabato. The tourism department assures that an immediate response was conducted and all tourists are safe.

“All tourists in the area were safe escorted down the mountain,” DOT said in their online statement

The agency confirms that tourism-related activities in the municipality are also suspended while the hazard and safety assessments are still pending. 

Hotels in General Santos City are also affected and damaged by the earthquake, including Hotel San Marco, Florotel II Hotel, Jeamco Royal Hotel, Grand Summit Hotel Sydney Hotel, and Columbus Plaza Hotel.

DOT urges the public to rely only on official advisories from the government and refrain from spreading unverified information.

The Department of Education reminds the public to be cautious and always check the credibility of information encountered online.

The reminder was issued following circulating information about the alleged removal of the Senior High School level for SY 2026 to 2027.

DepEd says this is fake news and warns the public to refrain from following social media pages that intend to mislead by spreading misinformation. 

Hence, the agency urges the public to report those encounters.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Debris from walls and ceilings has been cleared in General Santos International Airport after the facility was affected by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

Department of Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez conducted inspections at the airport on June 9, 2026.

Lopez orders the immediate clearing and rehabilitation of all damaged facilities to restore the airport to optimal condition.

Currently, the airport operations remain limited to government, military, and humanitarian flights to ensure that the delivery of relief and emergency aid to affected communities won’t be delayed.

According to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), commercial flights remain suspended until June 11, 2026.