Philippine news digest - July 13, 2026

The Sara Duterte impeachment trial hit its fourth day on Monday, and the courtroom action moved past the sideshow arguments into forensic testimony. NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc told the Senate impeachment court that the bureau found no validated information identifying the alleged contract killer at the center of the case, though investigators still assessed the vice president's reported remarks about having officials killed as "serious" and "real" (via GMA News).

House prosecutor Joel Chua called the testimony a boost to what he described as an "airtight" case, and disclosed he'd sought his own security detail after the VP's original November 2024 remarks. The defense, for its part, says it will still call a witness on the alleged "Operation Romanov" assassination plot once the timing works. Senate President Chiz Escudero also floated moving to morning sessions when the trial resumes July 27, and the Senate has opened a public portal for pleadings and evidence from both sides (via Philstar).

Away from the Senate, the Mandaluyong hit-and-run case took a turn. The House confirmed, again, that the Land Cruiser involved isn't registered to any of its members, and that the House sticker on the vehicle was apparently bought from a souvenir shop (via Manila Bulletin).

More striking: reports now say the registered owner has been quietly working the phones to get the case settled and dropped, and the LTO has flatly refused to go along with it. The driver is in custody and facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.

Monday brought the diplomatic follow-through to Sunday's 10th anniversary commemorations of the 2016 arbitral ruling. The Philippines and thirteen allied nations, including the US, Japan, Australia, and the UK, issued a joint statement calling the award "final, legally binding, and definitive" (via Philstar).

China's embassy in Manila wasn't moved, repeating its line that the ruling is "nothing but a piece of waste paper" it will neither accept nor recognize. Senators used the moment to reaffirm the ruling as the country's strongest legal card in the West Philippine Sea, and Senator Erwin Tulfo renewed his push to make the WPS dispute mandatory classroom material, after Chinese scholars floated the claim that Batanes belongs to China (via Philstar).

It follows Sunday's unveiling of the country's first West Philippine Sea Fisherfolk Monument in Quezon City.

Typhoon Inday's habagat is still causing headaches on the ground. Class suspensions hit a wide stretch of the country today: all levels in Dagupan City and towns across Pangasinan, Bataan, several Bulacan and Pampanga municipalities, Masinloc and Subic in Zambales, and Cainta, Taytay, and Teresa in Rizal, plus a multi-day suspension in Calanogas, Lanao del Sur (via GMA News).

Iloilo City is still drying out from the weekend's flooding, with 35 of its 180 barangays affected and roughly 1,371 people evacuated, floodwater reaching six feet deep in parts of Arevalo district. Taal Volcano also logged a brief phreatomagmatic eruption Sunday night, lasting about three minutes, nothing alarming but worth watching if you're nearby.

There's a new system to track, too. A tropical depression outside PAR, likely to be named Josie once it enters (PAGASA had been calling it Haishen internationally), should cross into Philippine waters tonight or tomorrow morning east of Visayas. It's forecast to track generally north through the country before exiting by Wednesday, and PAGASA doesn't expect it to directly batter the country the way Inday did. Tuesday's forecast: scattered rain and thunderstorms over Ilocos, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, and Tarlac from the habagat, with the rest of Luzon partly cloudy with occasional showers (via GMA News).

The bright spot today: Board of Investments-approved investment pledges jumped 21%, with the 2026 Strategic Investment Priority Plan now covering frontier industries like AI and high-value manufacturing (via BusinessWorld).

On the corporate side, AC Health is shopping for hospital acquisitions, Megawide is eyeing more housing projects in Cavite and Bulacan, and Aramco opens its first branded fuel station in the Philippines, in Parañaque, this Thursday.

The less bright spot: core inflation has climbed to a 31-month high of 4.4%, well above the government's 2 to 4% comfort zone, and analysts think that keeps the BSP leaning toward tightening rather than cutting rates (via BusinessWorld).

That sits alongside the softer picture from last week: Q1 GDP growth of just 2.8%, with Balisacan needing the rest of the year to average 3.7% just to hit the low end of the government's target, and the ADB penciling in a more modest 3.8% for the full year.

Last week's rally cooled off by Friday. The PSEi climbed to 6,286.70 to close out the week up 1.59%, after Thursday's profit-taking pulled it down 0.83% to 6,223.87 following a six-day winning streak (via Manila Times).

We couldn't independently confirm today's (Monday) closing print by deadline. Trading volume stayed thin even during the rally, averaging just P5.55 billion a day, so the strength looks more like bargain hunting than conviction. Analysts are now watching Q2 earnings season, favoring banks, energy names benefiting from higher oil, and holdcos trading below net asset value. The peso has been sliding too, down about 10 centavos from its P61.415 close on July 3 and trading mostly sideways with the dollar index since (via BusinessWorld).

Check the PSE's own market report for the official close (via PSE).

Two separate price hikes to flag. First, LPG went up today: the BIR resumed collecting excise tax on LPG and kerosene, adding roughly P3 per kilo, which works out to about P33 more on a standard 11-kilogram cylinder currently selling for P1,150 to P1,250 (via Philstar).

Second, tomorrow's pump price adjustment: diesel goes up P2.62 to P4.62 a liter and kerosene P2.22 to P4.22, while gasoline could go either way by about a peso, all blamed on renewed Middle East tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. The DOE says if things don't settle, it may scrap its weekly price ranges altogether in favor of fixed limits (via Manila Bulletin).

Rice remains a slow burn: regular-milled rice is now averaging P50 a kilo nationwide, up from P42 a year ago, and the DA has warned prices could climb toward P62 by September if import costs keep rising.

PBA Governors' Cup action kept rolling over the weekend. NLEX survived a fourth-quarter meltdown to edge Terrafirma for win number two, then set its sights on a third straight win against Titan Ultra (via PBA).

Converge's FiberXers feasted on an import-less Giant Risers squad, with the team's coach optimistic things are trending up, partly thanks to the Gilas experience Juan Gomez de Liaño and Kevin Quiambao brought back to the roster. San Miguel, meanwhile, is looking for a bounceback with a roster most consider stacked enough to get one.

Gilas Pilipinas itself is still nursing its FIBA World Cup qualifying window bruises: a 106-102 double-overtime loss to New Zealand and a 92-49 blowout loss to Australia in Perth left the team at 2-4, without an injured Justin Brownlee for the Australia game. The silver lining was Gomez de Liaño and Quiambao each dropping 23 against New Zealand. Gilas now crosses into Group E with Iran, Jordan, and Syria, needing a top-three finish to keep the 2027 World Cup dream alive (via Rappler).

Maris Racal is trending after photos surfaced of her with an unidentified foreigner, sparking the usual boyfriend speculation; she hasn't responded (via Philstar).

The Binibining Pilipinas 2026 candidates pushed through with their Grand Parade of Beauties over the weekend despite thunderstorm warnings.

On the calendar: Gong Yoo brings his "The Long Take" Asian fan meet tour to Manila, and Sarah Geronimo turns 38 on July 25. On screen, July's lineup includes "A Hard Day" (the Filipino take on the Korean action thriller, pairing Dingdong Dantes and John Arcilla) premiering July 19, followed a week later by "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story," the fourth film retelling of the Tondo gang leader's life, this time led by E.R. Ejercito (via GMA Entertainment).

Tatler's July dining radar is out, and it's a good month to try something new: Chef Francis Tariga's contemporary Filipino spot Tadhanà, a new Quezon City wine bar called Pinoy Accent, Chef Yusuke Hino's omakase restaurant Hinoki in Makati, and Always Welcome, a neighborhood-style cocktail bar from Diageo's 2017 World Class Philippines Bartender of the Year, Royce Pua (via Tatler Asia).

On the retail side, Australian home and lifestyle brand Anko opened its newest store, a 1,455 square meter space on Level 2 of Gateway Mall 1 in Cubao.

Waze added a "motorcycle mode" for Filipino riders, offering routes tailored to two-wheeled traffic instead of car routing (via YugaTech).

LRT-2 now accepts Mastercard contactless payments, one more line joining the tap-to-pay push across Metro Manila's rail system (via YugaTech).

And Acer marked its 20th straight year as the Philippines' top laptop brand (via YugaTech).

Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event lands July 22, so expect new foldables to headline it.