00:01The Senate convenes Asara Duterte's impeachment trial court amid rumors of yet another power
00:06shake-up. The Office of the Solicitor General asks the Supreme Court to reject Senator Bato
00:11De La Rosa's plea to block the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant. President
00:16Ferdinand Marcos Jr. chooses a former U.P. assistant professor as the new budget chief.
00:21U.S. President Donald Trump says Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Tehran must reopen the Strait
00:26of Hormuz. And jailed journalist Frenchy May Cumpio wins the Wallace Annenberg Justice for
00:32Women Journalists Award. The Senate convenes Asara Duterte's impeachment court for the trial of Vice
00:46President Sara Duterte Monday, May 18. This amid rumors of yet another Senate leadership shake-up.
00:54This comes days after the shooting incident inside the Senate and Senator Bato De La Rosa's
00:59subsequent escape from the premises. Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano takes his oath
01:03as presiding officer before swearing in the senator judges. The Senate impeachment court gives Duterte
01:0910 days to submit her additional pleadings in light of her impeachment proceedings at the lower chamber.
01:14The prosecutors from the House of Representatives are given five days to reply. The impeachment case
01:19centers on allegations involving misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and alleged threats
01:25against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family. Although no power grab materialized, separate
01:31meetings are held before Monday's session, fueling speculation of efforts to unseat Cayetano. During the
01:37session, Senators Migg Zubiri and JV Ejercito say they are joining the minority, led by Senator Tito Soto.
01:43The two abstained in last week's vote that gave Cayetano the leadership. New chairpersons are assigned to some
01:49committees following Cayetano's takeover. The Office of the Solicitor General asks the Supreme Court to
01:56reject Senator Bato De La Rosa's plea to block the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against
02:00him. The OSG argues the senator's actions are consistent with those of a fugitive from justice.
02:06It says the essence of fugitive behavior is not limited to crossing national borders but extends to
02:12any deliberate effort to place oneself beyond the reach of lawful judicial process.
02:16The OSG says the fugitive disentitlement doctrine also applies to De La Rosa's case wherein fugitives may
02:22not seek relief from the judicial system whose authority they evade. The ICC confirmed May 11 it
02:28issued an arrest warrant against De La Rosa for his role in the extrajudicial killings in the war on
02:33drugs. The OSG also says the enforcement of the ICC warrant does not require a separate warrant from a
02:39Philippine court pursuant to Republic Act 9851. De La Rosa was under the protective custody of newly
02:45elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano. De La Rosa left the premises early May 14 after a gunfire
02:51incident the night before.
02:55President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. chooses former assistant professor of the University of the
02:59Philippines Diliman, Kim Robert De Leon, as his new budget chief. De Leon is a former budget department
03:05executive and taught at UPD's National College of Public Administration and Governance. Palace press
03:10officer Claire Castro confirms his appointment and notes De Leon is the youngest member of the Marcos
03:15cabinet. De Leon is set to take his oath Tuesday, May 19. He once served as the budget department's
03:21undersecretary for organization and systems improvement and information and communications
03:25technology groups. De Leon also used to be undersecretary for administration and finance of the
03:31Department of Transportation. He will take over the DBM that has been headed by interim chief
03:35undersecretary Rolando Toledo since November 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump says Chinese
03:43President Xi Jinping has agreed Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But China gave no indication
03:49it would weigh in. After the two days of talks with Xi, Trump also says he was considering whether
03:54to lift U.S. sanctions on Chinese oil companies buying Iranian oil. China is the biggest buyer of Iranian
04:00oil. When asked whether Xi had made a firm commitment to put pressure on the Iranians
04:05to reopen the Strait, Trump says, quote, I am not asking for any favors because when you ask for
04:10favors, you have to do favors in return. Xi also did not comment on his discussions with Trump about
04:15Iran. But China's foreign ministry criticized the war, calling it a conflict which should never
04:20have happened and has no reason to continue.
04:25Jailed journalist Frenchy May Cumpio wins the Wallace-Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists award
04:30from the International Women's Media Foundation. The Tacloban-based journalist was sentenced to 12
04:35to 18 years in prison for a terrorism financing case in January 2026. The foundation writes,
04:41each year the Wallace-Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists award brings attention to women
04:46journalists who are detained, jailed, or imprisoned. Cumpio expresses her gratitude for the award but says
04:51she would give a greater salute to everyone who continued to believe in truth and justice.
04:58And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gutinga. Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story.
05:03For more updates, download the Rappler app.
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