Latest from GMA Network
GMA Network
30 minutes ago
- Business
- GMA Network
DA, PNP boost anti-smuggling campaign
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is intensifying its anti-smuggling campaign after discovering the sale of suspected smuggled onions in Paco Market in Manila. On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the DA will partner with the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the crackdown against smuggled agricultural products they discovered smuggled onions being sold in the market. The imported red onions are larger and cleaner than local varieties. It also surfaced in markets despite the absence of import permits, he added. 'We did not give any permits to anybody since early this year. Lahat ng imported onions sa lahat ng palengke ay smuggled iyan,' said Laurel Jr. 'It's the directive of President Bongbong Marcos to stop smuggling—that's why we now have this law,' he said. The DA will conduct lab testing of seized onions to ensure they are not a public health threat. Previous inspections found traces of E. coli and heavy metals in smuggled white onions. 'But of course, our target remains the so-called 'big fish.' We will raid warehouses with the help of the PNP,' said Tiu Laurel. Meanwhile, the DA said they are also eyeing to train police officers to distinguish between locally produced and imported agricultural products, including pork, as part of efforts to strengthen the government's anti-smuggling campaign. In October 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12022 into law, which repeals the 2016 Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act and introduces tougher, more comprehensive enforcement mechanisms.—VAL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
an hour ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
'Not the first time': Marcos says he and his family often use MRT-3
President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Friday said that he and his family often ride the MRT-3 together and that his ride last June 1 was "not the first time." ''First of all, hindi 'to first time na sumakay ako ng MRT, madalas namin gamitin 'yung MRT dahil sa traffic. Mas mabilis eh. Kami... pamilya ko, mga kaibigan ko. Hindi practical matraffic, magdadalawang oras ka hanggang Cubao,'' Marcos said in the BBM Podcast. (First of all, it was not my first time to ride the MRT. We often use the MRT because of the traffic. It's faster. I, my family, and my friends ride the MRT. The traffic is not practical, it's often two hours to get to Cubao.) He also shared that he often talks to commuters, and they told him about the usual crowded situation inside the train, adding that he personally experienced the challenge of commuting using the MRT-3. ''Naramdaman ko 'yan, minsan sumakay kami ng MRT, talagang pag nakapasok ka na, basta't 'yung kamay mo nandito, hindi mo na magagalaw 'yun. Nakadikit ka na dito. Kinakausap ko mga pasahero, 'Sir, ganyan talaga 'yan araw-araw,''' the President added. (I experienced that, one time we used the MRT and once you enter and place your hands here, you can no longer move. I often talk to passengers, and they tell me the situation is like that every day.) Marcos earlier announced the Family/Pamilya Pass 1+3 program, which was made in honor of Family Day and to celebrate Filipino families. In this program, families or barkadas of four members only need to pay for one passenger to ride the MRT-3, LRT-2 and LRT-1 every Sunday starting on June 1, 2025. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation has announced the increased discount for all students from 20% to 50% for LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 starting Friday. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
an hour ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Sara Duterte bound for Australia, to join rally for dad Rodrigo
Vice President Sara Duterte addresses the media in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands on March 14, 2025. Photo by: Jay-Vee Marasigan Pangan Vice President Sara Duterte will travel to Australia for another personal trip and to join a protest action calling for the release of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte. According to an advisory Friday from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), her itinerary includes attendance in the "Free Duterte Now" rally on Sunday, June 22, in Melbourne. The elder Duterte is currently detained at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands over charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his administration's war on drugs. Last week, the Vice President traveled to Kuala Lumpur for a personal trip with her family. While in Malaysia, she attended a Philippine Independence Day celebration and engaged in a program consultation with overseas Filipino workers. The Vice President is facing an impeachment case for betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. She was impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint against her. After the Senate voted to return her case to the House of Representatives, her impeachment trial is currently expected to begin in the 20th Congress, which will open in July. The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday directed Sara Duterte and nine others from the OVP and the Department of Education (DepEd) to respond to the charges filed by the House of Representatives in connection with the alleged misuse of confidential funds. The order came after the House filed a complaint against Duterte and several others for plunder, technical malversation, falsification, use of falsified documents, perjury, bribery, corruption of public officers, betrayal of public trust, and culpable violation of the Constitution, a source said. The complaint stemmed from the recommendation of the House Committee on Good Governance and Public Accountability to file charges against Duterte for the alleged misuse of P500 million in confidential funds of the OVP and P112.5 million in confidential funds of DepEd from 2022 to 2024. The Vice President has denied the allegations against her. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Thai PM under mounting pressure as ruling coalition hangs by a thread
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks during a press conference following a leak on Wednesday of a phone call between her and Cambodia's Hun Sen, the influential former premier of Cambodia, amid a border dispute between the two countries, at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Panumas Sanguanwong BANGKOK — The government of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was hanging by a thread on Thursday following the withdrawal of a major coalition partner, building pressure on her to resign after just 10 months in power. Political neophyte Paetongtarn, the 38-year-old daughter of influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is facing dwindling popularity, a stuttering economy and a territorial row with Cambodia that has sparked fears of military clashes. The second-biggest partner in the alliance, the Bhumjaithai Party, withdrew from the coalition late on Wednesday, citing damage caused to Thailand's integrity, sovereignty and its army after an embarrassing leak hours earlier of a phone call between the premier and Cambodia's influential former leader Hun Sen. The United Thai Nation, Chart Thai Pattana and Democrat parties announced separate meetings on Thursday to decide their next steps. A decision to withdraw by either the Democrats or UTN would leave Paetongtarn with a minority government and in an untenable position. The premier has not commented on Bhumjaithai's exit. Paetongtarn was seen entering the government's headquarters on Thursday, with police surrounding the complex in preparation for possible protests against her. Thai stocks .SETI fell as much as 2.4% in morning trading to the lowest level since April 9. In the leaked June 15 call, Paetongtarn is heard pressing former Cambodian leader Hun Sen for a peaceful resolution to the territorial dispute, and urging him not to listen to "the other side" in Thailand, including an outspoken Thai army general who she said "just wants to look cool." She later told reporters that was a negotiation tactic and there were no issues with the military. Paetongtarn met top security officials on Thursday to discuss the crisis with Cambodia. Flanked by the defense minister, army chief and armed forces commander, she apologized over the leak and called for unity. "We don't have time for infighting. We have to protect our sovereignty. The government is ready to support the military in all ways," she told reporters. 'The last straw' If Paetongtarn were to resign, parliament must convene to choose a new prime minister to form the next government, from a pool of only five remaining eligible candidates nominated before the 2023 election. Another option would be to dissolve parliament and call an election, a move that could favour the opposition People's Party, the largest force in parliament and the country's most popular party according to opinion polls. The People's Party, the reincarnation of the Move Forward Party that won most votes in the 2023 election but was disbanded last year by a court, said Thailand was paralyzed by problems that only a new election could solve. "The situation yesterday on the leaked phone call is the last straw," People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut told a press conference. "I want the prime minister to dissolve parliament. I think the people want a government that can solve problems for the people, a legitimate government that comes from a democratic process." Paetongtarn's administration has also been dogged by criticism from opponents about the influence of her divisive tycoon father Thaksin, who holds no official position but often comments on policy and has maintained a high profile since his return from self-exile in 2023. The turmoil and the army's assertiveness over the border dispute with Cambodia have again put the spotlight on Thailand's politically powerful military and its animosity with the Shinawatra family, whose governments it overthrew in 2006 and 2014 coups. The army on Thursday issued a statement affirming its "commitment to democratic principles" while emphasising Thai unity. "The chief of army has called upon the Thai people to maintain confidence in the Royal Thai Army's steadfast commitment to constitutional monarchy and ... protecting national sovereignty through established legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms," it said. — Reuters
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
NBA: Pacers cruise past Thunder, send Finals to Game 7
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of game six of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Obi Toppin scored 20 off the bench to lead a balanced offensive effort as the Indiana Pacers evened the NBA Finals with a 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 on Thursday in Indianapolis. The Finals will go to a winner-take-all seventh game for the first time since 2016. Game 7 is Sunday in Oklahoma City. There was little drama Thursday, as Indiana jumped ahead in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead. Andrew Nembhard added 17 points while Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds to move the Pacers within one win of their first NBA title. Tyrese Haliburton, playing through a calf injury, had 14 points and five assists, and T.J. McConnell contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals. Indiana forced 21 turnovers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points, but had a playoff career-worst eight turnovers and just two assists. Jalen Williams, who scored 40 points in Game 5, finished with just 16 points. Trailing by 30 entering the final quarter, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault pulled his starters, opting to save them for Game 7. Oklahoma City shot just 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc -- 1-for-11 in the first half. The Pacers took control in the second quarter, turning the tables on the Thunder. Oklahoma City won Games 4 and 5 the same way it had plenty of others this season -- by turning up the pressure on defense and using that to fuel its offense. Over the final eight-minutes plus before halftime, Indiana's defense led the way on a 30-9 run to go into halftime with a 64-42 lead. The Pacers scored 11 of their 36 second-quarter points off the Thunder's seven turnovers. Haliburton, who had struggled early in games for much of the series even before straining his right calf early in Game 5, helped set the defensive tone for Indiana. In the final minute of the half, Haliburton elevated near the sideline for a steal off a Williams' pass, then quickly fired to Siakam as he was falling out of bounds. Siakam finished off the play with an emphatic dunk to stretch the lead to 20, then grabbed a rebound off a Chet Holmgren miss on the other end and buried an 18-footer just before the buzzer to send the Pacers into the locker room with a commanding lead. Indiana, which committed 23 turnovers in Game 5, had just two first-half turnovers on Thursday. The Pacers were slow-to-get-started on offense, going nearly four minutes into the game without a field goal and missing their first eight shots while falling behind 10-2. But it didn't take long for Indiana to close the gap, scoring eight consecutive points to tie the game less than a minute after hitting its first field goal. Moments later, the Pacers took the lead for the first time and what proved to be for good. After going without a field goal in Game 5, Haliburton missed his first four shots Thursday before taking a quick feed from Myles Turner off an offensive rebound and burying a 3-pointer with just more than four minutes remaining in the first quarter to put Indiana up 24-17. The Pacers continued to stretch their lead in the third, holding Oklahoma City to just 18 points. Indiana's James Johnson was ejected in the final minute after an altercation with Oklahoma City's Isaiah Joe. — Field Level Media/Reuters
