Tuesday, July 21, 2026

The NBI's chief took the witness stand and called the alleged plot against President Marcos "not just a threat, but a plan to kill the President." On the eighth day of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial, NBI Director Melvin Matibag testified as the prosecution's final witness on the grave-threats article, saying investigators have "persons of interest" who could lead them to a would-be assassin but no identified hitman yet, and he declined to name them. Prosecutors played a 2011 video of Duterte punching a sheriff and had Matibag read an affidavit from self-confessed Davao Death Squad hitman Arturo Lascanas to argue a pattern of violence, while presiding officer Chiz Escudero admonished the witness over earlier public comments about individual senator-judges (via Inquirer, via Philstar).

The court is also prying open the money trail. Senator-judges granted the prosecution's request to subpoena the bank, tax, and financial records of Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio, ruling them relevant to the unexplained-wealth charge, but drew a line: they denied subpoenas covering two firms, JTC Group and Pikimong Pikimong Philippines, after finding no established link to the couple (via Inquirer).

Marcos wants his big moment kept low-key. Malacanang said the President's fifth State of the Nation Address on July 27 will be "simple but dignified," with no celebrity directors, no big-name performers, no red carpet and no long gowns, and that the Palace and the House are aligned on the pared-down staging. Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Marcos will spotlight the bigger share of national taxes now flowing to local governments, and the PNP is deploying more than 20,000 personnel for security (via Manila Bulletin, via PNA).

Another planeload of Filipinos came home from the Gulf. The government repatriated 32 overseas workers from Kuwait on July 20, flying them into NAIA Terminal 1 with full welfare assistance, part of more than 11,000 OFWs and dependents brought back since March across some 165 flights as Middle East tensions grind on. OWWA said repatriation requests have eased from their April-May peak, and the agency is opening a new Migrant Workers Office in Cambodia (via Daily Tribune).

At sea, the picture is grimmer. Roughly 3,000 Filipino seafarers remain stuck aboard about 400 ships in the Persian Gulf after Iran's Revolutionary Guard declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again and evacuation runs were suspended. The Philippines crews around a quarter of the world's merchant fleet, so every day the chokepoint stays shut leaves thousands of Filipinos waiting (via Philstar).

A new storm may be taking shape just off the coast. PAGASA said Tuesday that a low-pressure area about 1,635 km east of southeastern Luzon has a medium chance of strengthening into a tropical depression, and could enter the Philippine area of responsibility by Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday. If it becomes a cyclone inside the zone, it takes the next name on the list: Kiyapo (via Manila Bulletin, via Philstar).

Even without a storm, the west side stays soaked. The southwest monsoon is dumping isolated rain showers and thunderstorms over Metro Manila, Mindanao, and much of western Luzon and the Visayas through Tuesday, and PAGASA warned of possible flash floods and landslides wherever the downpours turn severe (via GMA News).

The country's external accounts got a June breather. The Philippines posted a balance-of-payments surplus of about $3.4 billion in June, sharply narrowing the first-half shortfall, with gross international reserves at $104.7 billion. The BSP still expects a full-year 2026 deficit of roughly $10.7 billion, wider than last year's (via BusinessWorld).

Foreign money, though, is staying cautious. The BSP sees net foreign direct investment inflows sliding to around $7 billion this year from an estimated $7.8 billion in 2025, blaming geopolitical risk and lingering governance worries for keeping investors on the sidelines (via BusinessWorld).

The country's biggest lender by assets held its ground. Bank of the Philippine Islands reported first-half net income of P32.8 billion, barely changed from a year earlier as loan-loss provisions jumped 84 percent to P13.3 billion; its shares still rose as investors zeroed in on solid operating performance (via BusinessWorld).

Stocks are grinding higher, but the peso is feeling the oil squeeze. In the last confirmed session, Monday July 20, the PSEi edged up 11.61 points to 6,415.72, while the peso weakened to P61.686 against the dollar from Friday's P61.587 as Brent crude pushed toward a one-month high near $88 a barrel on renewed US-Iran tensions. Tuesday's close had not been reported as this digest went out (via GMA News).

The bulls are looking past the noise. Analysts cited by BusinessWorld reckon the index can reach 7,500 by the end of 2026 if corporate earnings keep improving, a sizable climb from where it sits now (via BusinessWorld).

The fuel hike everyone dreaded landed at the pump today. Effective Tuesday, diesel rose by as much as P10.68 a liter, kerosene P11.77, and gasoline P3.65, all pinned on renewed Middle East tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. To cushion the blow, retailers like Shell and Seaoil staggered the steepest increases across July 21 to 23 rather than imposing them all at once (via GMA News, via Philstar).

And the squeeze does not stop at the gas station. Meralco raised its July rate by P0.3428 per kilowatt-hour, lifting the residential rate to P14.8261 and adding about P69 to a typical 200-kWh household bill, with generation costs climbing on the same oil pressure plus the Malampaya maintenance shutdown. Separately, the DOE said Philippine electricity rates ranked the highest in Southeast Asia in June (via Manila Bulletin, via Philstar Life).

Basketball is back on the menu after a quiet Monday. The PBA Governors' Cup resumes Tuesday with Meralco facing Blackwater, part of a conference that has already seen Phoenix race to a perfect 3-0 start. Under the single-round elimination format, every game shapes the eventual playoff seeding (via Inquirer).

The "Dream Team" is officially back on. Alex Eala and 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion Venus Williams have landed a wildcard to play doubles together again at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington in late July, their first pairing since reaching the Bad Homburg quarterfinals. It doubles as Eala's hardcourt tune-up before the US Open (via Inquirer, via Philstar).

Bea Alonzo is a married woman, and glowing about it. The actress shared an Instagram photo of the couple's ringed hands captioned "At my happiest," a week after she quietly wed businessman Vincent Co in an intimate July 13 civil ceremony at Makati City Hall officiated by Mayor Nancy Binay (via PEP.ph).

A viral apology followed a documentary dust-up. Content creator Boss Toyo publicly said sorry after backlash over his Facebook posts disputing Kara David's I-Witness documentary on an illegal dumpsite in Subic, Zambales, where his account clashed with her reporting on the stench and the displacement of the local Aeta community (via PEP.ph).

Philippine broadcasting handed out a brand-new set of trophies. The inaugural FAMAS Broadcast Arts Awards honored the year's standout television and broadcast work, the long-running film body branching onto the small screen (via PEP.ph).

If you are plotting a staycation, Tatler just published its shortlist. The magazine's Tatler Best 10 hotels in the Philippines for 2026 spans barefoot luxury at Nay Palad Hideaway in Siargao, the sprawling wellness sanctuary of The Farm at San Benito in Batangas, and the glitz of Solaire in Entertainment City (via Tatler Asia).

For the rest of us just trying to get through the workday, a gentler question. Philstar Life weighs whether your daily cup is a friend, a foe, or a co-worker, unpacking how caffeine really plays with focus, sleep, and office habits (via Philstar Life).

One app, every chatbot. Globe teamed up with AI Fiesta to bundle access to several top generative AI models, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and DeepSeek among them, in a single app, sold through token-based packs starting at P49 so users can compare answers without juggling separate subscriptions (via NewsBytes.ph).

Huawei is lining up its next flagship. The company's Pura 90s series is set for a global unveiling in Kuala Lumpur, about two months after its China debut, with teasers pointing to gold and white finishes and a wider camera module than the outgoing generation (via GizGuide).