00:01Former President Rodrigo Duterte tells the ICC he wants to skip his pre-trial hearings.
00:07A fourth impeachment complaint is filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
00:12Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is sentenced to life in jail for masterminding and
00:17insurrection. King Charles's younger brother Andrew is arrested for misconduct over links
00:23to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And Alex Ayala will face World No. 4 Coco Gauff in the
00:29Senate by Tennis Championship quarterfinals.
00:39Former President Rodrigo Duterte has made a last-minute request to skip his confirmation
00:43of charges hearings in person. This raises questions for a pre-trial that had previously
00:48appeared ready to proceed. Duterte says in the letter, quote,
00:51I am old, tired, and frail. I wish for this court to respect my peace inside the cell it has
00:57placed me.
00:57His lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, also says they made the request earlier but were constrained to only
01:03file Wednesday because the pre-trial chamber requested Duterte to personally sign the waiver.
01:08The first day of hearing is scheduled for Monday, February 23, giving the International
01:12Criminal Court pre-trial chamber judges only until Friday, February 20.
01:17Under the ICC rules, the chamber may proceed with the hearings even without Duterte if there is a legal
01:23basis. They could also deny the request and order him to appear.
01:27Meantime, Mamamayang Liberal Representative Laila de Lima says Duterte's refusal to attend is part of his
01:32strategy to appear unfit for trial and only proves he is sound of mind.
01:38A new impeachment complaint is filed with the House of Representatives against Vice President
01:43Sara Duterte. This raises the total number of petitions to four. The complaint was filed by lawyer
01:49Nathaniel Cabrera and endorsed by Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega and Manila 6 District Representative
01:54Bienvenido Abante. The petition cites culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public
02:00trust, graft and corruption, bribery, and other high crimes. The four petitions have yet to be referred to
02:06the Justice Committee. The filing was made just hours after Duterte announced her bid for the
02:112028 presidential race. Meantime, some question her true intentions.
02:17Kabataan Rep. Renee Koss says Duterte's presidential bid is an attempt to avoid accountability.
02:23Mamamayang Liberal Representative Laila de Lima says the VP has the right to declare her bid early,
02:28but notes Filipinos also have the right to demand accountability.
02:321. A South Korean court orders life in jail for former President Yoon Suk-yeol after he was found
02:39guilty of abuse of authority and orchestrating an insurrection linked to his December 2024 attempt
02:44to impose martial law. Prosecutors earlier sought the death penalty for Yoon. Masterminding an
02:50insurrection carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty or life imprisonment under South Korean law.
02:56South Korea last handed down a death sentence in 2016, but has not executed
03:01anyone since 1997. The verdict, released February 19, marks the most significant outcome for the
03:07ousted leader. Yoon faces eight trial proceedings and was given a five-year jail sentence in January
03:13in a separate trial on charges including obstructing attempts by authorities to arrest him following
03:18his martial law declaration. He has appealed that ruling.
03:24BBC TV reports police arrest King Charles' younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of
03:30misconduct in public office over his links to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
03:35Newspapers report six unmarked police cars and around eight plain-clothed officers arrived at
03:40Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate in eastern England. Thames Valley Police said earlier this month
03:45officers were considering allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor passed confidential government
03:49documents to Epstein. Andrew is the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth. He has always denied any
03:55wrongdoing in relation to Epstein and said he regrets their friendship. He has not responded
04:00to requests for comment since the latest release of documents by the US government.
04:06Filipino tennis star Alex Ayala reaches the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships
04:10after her 7-5-6-4 win over Romania's Sorana Cuerste in the Round of 16. She narrowly defeated Cuerste,
04:17who had just won the WTA 250 Transylvania Open in her home country less than two weeks ago.
04:22It was only the second time Ayala reached the last eight of a WTA 1000 tournament,
04:28a level just below the four Grand Slam events. But it will be a tough challenge for Ayala to beat
04:33her next match, Coco Gauff. The French Open and US Open champion is currently world number four with a
04:399-3 record in 2026.
04:43And that's today's wrap. I'm Julian Sirineo.
04:45Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story. For more updates, download the Rappler app.
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